Forgotten Memories II
by Enigmatic Ethereality
Summary: Sequal to Forgotten Memories; MA- Kagome and Sango miss the closeness they once felt before hardships tore them apart. Sango must decide if she'll ever have it in her heart to love Kagome the way she once did. Kagome must decide if she can truely move on.
1. Chapter 1: What Kagome Didn’t Know

**Hello everyone! I'm back with the Sequal to Forgotten Memories! I'm pretty excited to be starting this story. So don't let the lame name keep you from reading it! (I couldn't think of anything else, so don't hit me! DX) I'm working on fixing in a style of writing that I haven't tried before- and the chapters will be much longer! X3 So please read and REVIEW!!**

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Rated:** **Mature** for mature themes, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha. I do, however, own a Hamtaro plushie. And I love him!

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Chapter 1: What Kagome Didn't Know**

It had been a while, she thought. It had really been a while. As her tired deep green eyes flowed over the pictures in the picture album, she allowed her mind to wander just a bit. She allowed her mind to wander from the haste of everyday life. She allowed her mind to wander from the urgency she always felt nowadays. Ignoring the slight ache in her shoulders, she thought back to a time of happiness. She thought back to a time of unwavering love. She thought back to the tragic interruption. Within that, she though back to the unbridled joy she had felt as that love returned to her.

Sighing, she reached over to her bedside table, and placed the photo album back inside. Closing it she allowed those memories that were supposed to be long forgotten to live in the back of her mind. She pushed the covers back and slipped her feet down to the floor, instantly recoiling a bit due to the frigidity of the cool hardwood. She sat for a few moments, in empty silence.

A warm hand touched her cool skin. Warmth spread through her arm readily.

"Sango?" the woman breathed gently, her voice sensuous with sleep.

Sango glanced over her shoulder, errant strands of her hair falling silkily into place. Green eyes connected with dark blue. She turned away and sighed.

"Can you sleep?" the woman questioned, gently pursuing an answer.

"No," came an unsteady reply.

The rustling of sheets and the movement of the bed signaled to Sango that her lover had moved closer. Warm hands tentatively touched her shoulders. Gently, adequate pressure was applied. Sango leaned gratefully into the massaging hands as they relieved the tension that had been building up.

"Sango, don't you think you should take a few days off?"

"Why? I need to make sure I'm ready for this tour," she replied irritably.

Impatience and irritability were now what defined the young musician as she became more and more of a rock star. She was letting the stress of deadlines and perfection get to her. She barely had time to herself anymore; well, she did but for some reason she was always so engrossed in her work. It was as if she were trying to fill her mind with simply music and only music- as if she didn't want anything other than the music to plague her thoughts.

"Well, the band and I were wondering if you'd like to take a break. Go on a trip or something. All you ever do nowadays is practice. The tour's not starting for another week or so," the blue eyed girl replied.

"Ray," Sango sighed the girl's nickname in annoyance.

"Please," the blonde pleaded cutely.

"I don't know…. Maybe," Sango sighed, shrugging the girl's hands from her shoulders.

Warm arms slipped around her torso and a warm body fit perfectly against her back.

"Please," she pleaded again in a mere whisper. Her lips were against Sango's ear.

Sango shut her eyes in enjoyment. Rayne always had a way to convince her to do anything. Simply put- Sango had a weak spot for girls with blue eyes and sweet voices. As loving kisses were delivered to her cheek and jaw, Sango felt her resolve melting away. She quickly turned her face to meet soft lips in a needy kiss. She felt the drummer smile into the kiss and couldn't help but smile back.

"And if I say no?" Sango mumbled against her lips.

"Trust me; saying no is the last thing you want to do," Rayne warned sexily as she kissed Sango again gently.

"Why is that?" Sango asked as she turned to face the drummer.

"You'll be missing out on a lot of fun, Skittles." That whisper drove Sango insane.

A smile slipped easily onto Sango's lips again.

"I told you not to call me that," the guitarist muttered with a devious smile.

"Oh, but it's so cute!" Rayne laughed as Sango pushed her against the bed.

"How did you even find out about that?"

"It's a long story," Rayne smirked, obviously deciding that she wasn't going to spill it. Mischief played naturally in her deep blue eyes.

"We've got time."

"No we don't," she replied softly before pulling Sango down for a mouthy kiss. Sango's fingers were immediately buried in golden locks. The drummer's hands had skillfully unbuttoned Sango's shirt all the way down- she happened to only be wearing a large button up and underwear. Sango was instantly filled with need. A shiver slipped through her body as the drummers hand found their way to her ribcage; just beside her breast.

"Your hands are so warm," Sango spoke as she let her hand trace up the woman's stomach.

Rayne purred in content as Sango's hand made an achingly slow approach towards her chest. A soft kiss was given and the women became engrossed in each other. Skin slicked against skin and voices filled the air. Their love making, however, was disrupted by a familiar tune that hadn't been heard in a long while.

Sango's cell phone.

At first, Sango ignored it; allowing herself to continue to pleasure her partner. But then, with a thought that had been evading her, she jumped in remembrance. She suddenly pulled away from her flushed lover.

"Wait; Sango," Rayne started, lightheaded.

"No, no. I have to get this call," Sango said as her naked body scrambled to get off the bed.

"Please, Sango. Can't you just ignore it?"

Sango stopped and the Green Day song, "Wake Me Up When September Ends", continued to play in the silence accompanied by their heavy panting.

"No, I have to take the call."

Rayne looked thoroughly pissed, but said no more.

Digging through the bag that had been set near the door, Sango hastily fumbled to answer her phone.

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Her heart was racing as the phone rang in her ear. She hadn't talked with the musician in such a long time. She hadn't said hello in such a long time. She wondered if she sounded different- or perhaps if she missed her. Maybe she had only invited her due to guilt- maybe she felt that it was simply the right thing to do.

Seconds felt like minutes as Kagome waited for Sango to answer.

Kagome felt rejection move in on her. The letter said to call anytime. Maybe she had taken that a little too literally. Sango was a busy person. Perhaps she was in a recording studio, or maybe doing an interview… Maybe she just didn't want to talk to her.

Kagome realized, however, that the ringing had suddenly stopped. Silence filled her ear.

"Hello?" she tried, the cool air becoming comforting. She strained her ears to pick up heavy breathing.

"Hey," she replied.

"Uh, yeah. It's Kagome," the blue eyed girl continued, upset that talking to Sango felt so awkward.

"Hey, it's good to hear from you," Sango said still obviously trying to catch her breath. Kagome noted the tone Sango had- she recognized that tone slightly, and blushed. She hoped with all of her heart that she hadn't interrupted anything.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Kagome said as she heard Sango swear a bit. A muffled voice came through to her through the phone. Sango didn't reply.

"If you want… I could call back," Kagome pressed out- a bit embarrassed.

Sango cleared her throat, "Oh, um. No- just hold on a second."

She heard lowered voices debating for a bit before Sango returned.

"So, how have you been doing?" Sango asked smoothly.

"I've been ok. I got your letter."

"Oh, that's good! That's great; when did you get it?"

"Just a few minutes ago," Kagome started back towards the library.

"Oh," Sango said with her excitement waning quickly. "So… I guess you didn't get a chance to think about it yet."

"Ah… no- not yet. But I just want to say thank you before I think about it."

"Thank you?"

"Yeah- thank you for thinking about me and sending the ticket," Kagome smiled gently.

Sango felt warmth fill her chest. Kagome sounded so carefree when she said that; so ridiculously content.

Kagome cringed as a loud bang filled her ear.

"Um, Sango?"

"Oh- sorry about that," the musician replied with a slight hint of irritation. "Rayne just got a little upset. She's a bit childish at times."

"How is she doing?"

"She's," Sango stopped. She was at a loss of words. Kagome was actually inquiring about her girlfriend. The musician always saw the blue eyed girl as one who'd be too terribly jealous to even think about her competition. It made Sango wonder- did Kagome finally get over? Had she lost the young girl's love?

"She's fine," Sango finally finished.

"Well that's good. She keeping you on your toes?" Kagome asked as she sat on the steps of the library. Kagome was quite pleased that she was able to keep small talk up.

"Ah, yeah," Sango laughed. "She's a handful."

"Well, I'm glad you're having fun." Kagome's smile became slightly wry.

"Yeah, and it'll be all the more fun to see you again if you decide to come on tour with us."

A shadow fell over her and Kagome looked up to see Reiki, the young girl she had been tutoring for some time, standing behind her. The pale girl's arms were filled with Kagome's books. Kagome scrambled to stand and relieve the girl of her load. She opened her mouth to say thank you, but the girl silenced her with the shake of the head. Concern filled the blue eyed girl when she caught view of the empty expression on the younger girl's face. Reiki merely turned and headed back into the library.

"Kagome?" Sango questioned, worried about Kagome's silence.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry," Kagome spluttered concern inadvertently slipping into her voice.

"Are you ok? You seem, I don't know, distressed."

"Ah, yeah," the younger girl replied, somewhat lamely.

"Are you sure?" concern also laced within Sango's voice.

"Yes- sorry about that. So- um… I'm going to think about the offer and I'll get back to you as soon as I can," Kagome said as she gazed over the tree line to see the top of the large stone chapel. The four towers had become a comforting sight to her.

"Alright. I'm going to get back to bed now," the musician said before clearing her throat a little.

"Yeah, ok. Goodnight- and tell Kikyo I said hi!"

"Goodnight, Kagome."

Kagome held the phone to her ear, waiting for Sango to hang up. When the screeching noise finally hit her ear, she shut the phone and sighed lightly. She was sure that she had called right in the middle of Sango and Rayne having sex- she could just tell by Sango's voice. But that couldn't be the case because Sango had picked up the phone. No; that wasn't possible- Sango wouldn't interrupt lovemaking for anything. Kagome, for one, knew this.

As she headed out towards the bus stop, she let her mind fester on the look Reiki had given her. The shy freshman had looked so… defeated and broken. Kagome had to wonder why? Was it possibly from the miniature argument they had had before about her invasion of privacy? Perhaps Rin had said something after she had left to be alone? But... No matter how hard Kagome tried, she couldn't think of anything that would cause the young girl to act the way she did. Such an empty expression on the eager young scholar's face worried Kagome. There was some serious hurt going on inside of the younger girl. But from what? Kagome didn't know.

Realizing that she had plenty of time on her hands, Kagome decided to take the scenic route to her dorm. She boarded the bus that would take her by the large stone chapel- the gothic structure that had caught her attention before even attending the school. It was simply a gorgeous place to be and as the bus drove around the roundabout, Kagome felt her heart melt just by seeing the large chapel as the bus went down the courtyard boarded drive.

Kagome arrived at the dorm before Rin. This was usually the case. Rin always met up with friends and went out to Karaoke or a club. Kagome had long since relinquished those habits after Sango left her. She found no pleasure in them- especially the clubs. Places of carnal pleasure like the clubs did nothing but magnify the dull ache in her chest into something ridiculously painful. It was cheating that lead her to her initial unhappiness. And though she wasn't dating anyone at the moment, she couldn't even bring herself to wander into a club due to the idea of meeting someone there who wanted to do nothing but use her just as her instructor had tried. She knew she'd fall into the club life way too easily because in her heart- Kagome was one who liked to party. She liked to dance and move; surrender her body and mind to the music and people.

After preparing herself for bed, Kagome dressed into her pajamas. She sat in bed for a while and knew it would be another night in which she did not sleep. Her eyes burned with tears, but she didn't allow them to fall. She had gotten so much better at that over the past few months.

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Sango sat at the table, her face in her hands. No matter how many times she tried to call, her girlfriend would never answer. No matter how many messages she left, she never received a reply. She was beginning to get worried. Rayne wasn't the brightest girl on the planet. She wasn't stupid or anything- she wouldn't get herself into serious trouble- but she did seem to attract trouble and she never knew how to deal with that trouble properly. Rayne seemed to draw in all of the negative publicity for the band.

The green eyed musician figured that Rayne actually liked the attention she was getting, no matter where it was coming from. Rayne seemed to always want to prove herself to someone. She always wanted all eyes on her and what she did. She wanted someone to be proud of her- to prove her worth. Sango asked her about this once, merely because she was simply irritated by how she acted at times. Rayne had broken down crying. She had flung herself into Sango's arms and cried helplessly.

_Sango held the sobbing girl in her arms, surprised at the sudden change of atmosphere. Just a moment ago, the musician had been chastising the drummer because of the trouble she had gotten into at a bar, and now she held the girl who had been staring her down lividly in her arms. A sharp frown tugged at her lips._

"_I'm sorry Sango," Rayne said bitterly, calming down significantly. "It just seems that everything I do, I somehow find a way to screw it up."_

"_Well, I'm not going to agree with that, but you shouldn't have cussed that guy out," Sango bit out, still a little pissed by the whole situation. "I just don't understand why you have to act like his all the time and why you're so moody all the time. You can't be on your period every day."_

_Rayne chuckled at this statement, glad that she was in Sango's arms. Her heart was melting and she wished she could just find the courage within to tell Sango how she felt about her. Usually, she wore her __mind on her sleeve and didn't hesitate to tell anyone anything, but there was something about Sango… Something that made her feel that if Sango rejected her she wouldn't have the will to live anymore._

"_I think I'm bipolar, and I'm not kidding."_

_Sango pushed Rayne away a bit, giving her a deep questioning glance. Rayne stared back, her deep blue eyes unwavering._

"_Oh… have you gone to check on that with a doctor?" Sango asked, giving the blonde girl a serious look. It had only been a few months and this band was already proving to be a handful. She sighed tiredly, and let go of the blonde drummer._

"_Well, I have- but they all just usually say it's ADHD or something stupid like that. They've been saying that since I was a kid," she muttered, irritation evident in her voice._

"_Isn't bipolar depression genetic or something like that?"_

"_I don't know. And even if it were, I wouldn't know. I don't know my real parents."_

"_What... What do you mean by that?"_

"_Well, my mom was a single mother and she gave me up at birth because she decided she couldn't take care of me. I decided once I was 18 that I didn't care about meeting her and never went looking. This was all supposedly after deciding not to get an abortion and allowing me life, but not wanting me all the while."_

_Sango watched Rayne carefully, trying to imagine what that must be like. She tried to imagine what it must be like to be rejected by her mother. Rayne refused to meet her eyes. The drummer kept her frighteningly blue gaze glued to the floor. Her blonde hair fell forward in a shielding curtain. She wanted to keep Sango out but…_

_She looked up and gave a sad smile, "I guess that why I'm always doing the stuff that I do. I guess that's why I'm always trying to get attention. I want to prove that I was worth it; that it was the best decision to keep me alive… I just…. I don't know- I'm sorry about this."_

_Tears slipped down her cheeks and Sango felt a twinge of pain slip through her. She hadn't meant for the girl to start crying… she hadn't known. And she hadn't known the details of the girl's life. If she had known- she probably would've been more understanding when the girl was being difficult, or when she got herself into legal trouble. She would've realized it wasn't an act and wouldn't have formed the preconceived notion that the girl was just trying to get on her nerves._

"_I'm sorry Rayne- I didn't know. But just to let you know, I'm extremely happy that you're a part of this band. With you, you bring your unique personality and attitude. You animate things and you give our band an image that's enviable. So don't ever think we don't appreciate you. It would've been easier for us to get along in the beginning if you had just told us what was going on; so I think it'll be in our best interest if you tell everyone tomorrow- perhaps at breakfast. Whenever is best for you, ok?"_

_Rayne just stared on at Sango, admiring the girl even more than before._

"_Ah, thanks Sango," she said softly and then suddenly she laughed. "I wish I didn't have to feel so shy around you."_

_Sango didn't question that last statement. She knew what it was about- everyone in the band knew that was about. She, however, had to seriously be careful when even considering Rayne as a girlfriend. Could she handle the girl's enigmatic personality? Was her heart healed enough to take another blow? Could she let Rayne in and help the drummer heal as well?_

Worry was replaced with slight irritation. Sango knew that in a few minutes she would be getting a phone call to go bail Rayne out of jail, or a police officer would come knocking on her door. Tired entirely by the girl's ridiculous streak of attracting trouble, she dressed herself properly and left the room. She traveled down to the basement, where their soundproof recording studio was located. She was going to play until her fingers bled. As she moved closer, however, she was surprised to hear the barely audible sound of someone pounding ferociously on a drum set.

As she approached the electronic sound panels, she looked into the one-way glass. Sango sat in one of the many chairs to watch and listen. It seemed like Rayne had added additional toms and symbols to the standard drum set. She was pounding on them all rhythmically and skillfully. Sango often marveled at the blue eyed drummer. She had always been amazed by drummers in reality- she knew she would never have the coordination to play so many instruments all at once. The green eyed girl listened softly, wondering if drummers could go solo; it'd certainly be something interesting. Suddenly, the sound of the crash symbols elevated and the whole flow of the music stopped stumblingly.

Rayne was crying. She threw her drumsticks across the room and buried her face into her hands. Sango frowned at this display. Would Rayne seriously take her decision to take the call wrong? Didn't she understand that it was important? She couldn't understand why she was acting this way. They'd eventually get the chance to make love again- they always did. Not as often as before, but it did happen when they both were feeling up to it. Sighing Sango sat, waiting for Rayne to emerge; she wouldn't dare barge into her partial privacy.

Moments later, Rayne exited the room. Her body froze tensely at the sight of her girlfriend sitting there with an empty face. Sango's green eyes stared piercingly into hers. This unnerved her at times. This time would not be an exception. She opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn't find the words. Sango continued to stare at her until she finally decided that she would be the one to start the conversation.

"Come here," she ordered.

Rayne consented silently and was surprised that Sango pulled her down into her lap once she was close enough. Sango didn't particularly like to do this, seeing that Rayne was just a bit taller than her, but she did only because she knew that Rayne needed the physical contact. The drummer quickly wrapped her arms around Sango and buried her face into her neck. Sango noted that Rayne was ridiculously hot and slightly sweaty.

"Let's talk, huh?" the musician tried gently.

"I'm sorry for acting the way I did," a muffled reply came. "I was just upset- ya know? I mean, we were having sex, Sango. You can't just randomly say you're going to take a call. And to make it worse… it was that girl- your ex. And I could tell, by the way you were talking… that you… that you still love her. And now I'm wondering if you're going to break up with me or-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, let's not jump to conclusions now. That's not going to get us anywhere. I had to take the call because I had said in the letter, which you _read_, that I'd take the call. We can have sex anytime- you know that. How can you get angry about something like that?"

"Sango… we haven't had sex in _weeks_! I can't understand how you wouldn't _know_ that? It's been like you've suddenly gotten bored with me and I feel more and more helpless every day. And then to add to that insecurity, you start talking to your ex again! Do you know how that makes me feel?"

"I don't love her like that anymore. We've been best friends for the longest time. I can't talk to my best friend anymore?"

"But Sango you…. Ah, just fuck it. I don't even know what to say anymore. I can't make my thoughts make sense."

That was the sudden mood change that Sango had been dreading.

"Ray, please don't take this so personally. I'm with you, you're with me. You're the only one I want right now," Sango said with certainty.

The drummer looked up at her girlfriend her eyes searching intently for something that just wasn't there.

"Do you love me, Sango?"

"Ray…" Sango felt at a loss. She had been with the girl for a couple of months now, and she still couldn't bring herself to tell her that she loved her.

The drummer sighed tiredly and unwrapped her arms from around the musician's body. She stood up and gave Sango a wry smile, "That's ok." Turning away she started back towards the steps. She stopped with one foot on the first step.

"I understand that you can't say that to me…. I understand that. But just know that I love you, Sango. And maybe that's not enough to make you love me back, but that's enough to keep me with you. I think that's enough to trust me too- I know you have a hard time with that. I do too, 'cause I've been hurt as well… but we can't keep playing around like this. These games are killing me inside."

She was gone.

Sango stared after her. She wondered deeply in her heart if she really did love the girl. Did she want to be with Rayne… or was her heart still crying after Kagome. It wouldn't make sense if that were the case.

Stuff like that didn't make sense but love itself was an indescribable entity and it couldn't be described with words because it didn't make sense. So did Sango love Rayne? No, not yet…. Not yet…. But would it ever happen? Sango hoped so, because this aching she had in her chest was driving her insane. She wanted to move on. She wanted to leave Kagome in the past. Sango wanted to mend their friendship, but leave it at that. Not take it any further. She wanted to give her heart fully to Rayne.

Tired and emotionally confused, Sango made her way back up to the room. She gently woke Rayne up, and they allowed themselves to fall into the pleasures that had been interrupted earlier in the night. It was a meeting, not of love, but of anger and frustration. They wouldn't worry about talking it out until the morning.

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**Please Review!  
-Enigmatic Ethereality**


	2. Chapter 2: In The Roda

**I just want to say, thank you to all of my wonderful reviewers! Please read and review! The next chapter will be up soon!

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Rated:

**Mature** for mature themes, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha. I do, however, own a spanish guitar. His name is Pablo.

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**Chapter 2: In the Roda**

Kagome sat comfortably on the couch at her house with Rin watching TV. The blue eyed girl had traveled home for the weekend and Rin had asked to go with her- it wasn't a rare event that Rin asked to go home with her. Kagome's friend often went home with Kagome due to the fact that Rin's adoptive father lived on the other side of the country.

Yes, Rin was adopted, but she didn't allow that to run her life. She never allowed anything tragic to affect the way she thought and acted. The smaller girl was orphaned at the young age of six or seven and was taken in by a rich bachelor. He took proper care of Rin and helped her erase the images of her parents' death from her memory. The girl loved him and he loved her. He often called to check on her and she did make the long journey back home for the summer and holidays.

"Kags!" the small girl suddenly exclaimed. "I'm sooo excited that my dad is coming to visit for a little bit before I go back home for the summer. You'll finally get to meet him!"

"I can't wait," Kagome replied with a smile on her face. "How do you think he'll like Sesshoumaru?"

"Oh, well I'm sure they'll get along. Sesshy sounded a little nervous when I told him about it; but my dad's a really friendly guy and he already likes Sesshy because he makes me so happy."

Kagome laughed at this- she really wanted to meet the man that could put up with Sesshoumaru's attitude just because the haughty man made his daughter happy.

"You sure he won't worry about the age difference? I mean, that's a pretty large gap," Kagome said as Rin stood up to put a DVD in the player.

"Well, we already talked about it. At first, he was totally against it. He said, 'I can't let my little girl be involved with a man five years older than her!'" Rin mimicked, changing her voice. "But he eventually bent a little after hearing how much Sesshy loved me and I, him. It's not like he's twice my age or anything, anyways."

"True," Kagome agreed distantly. Her mind had once again wandered onto Sango. Sango was older than her. She loved that about her- just that maturity she had and the physical benefits of her age. Not to mention that Sango was more experienced just because of that. But now none of that mattered. Sango's beauty, mind, and love were no longer hers. Nothing about the wonderful woman belonged to her any longer.

Kagome would be telling the lie of the century if she said that she didn't love Sango anymore. She'd be telling the lie of the century if she said she didn't miss her and everything about her. The blue eyed girl had tried to convince herself that she was over Sango, but it just wasn't working. She had tried to give herself time, but even then…

The girl feared that she would never let go of the beautiful musician.

Rin frowned, looking over at Kagome who held that distant, melancholy look on her features. This look had become very familiar to Rin. Her frosty blue eyes had darkened quite the bit within a short moment. Despair had seeped into the air around her and it was tangibly suffocating the smaller girl.

"Kagome?" she called, feeling as if she didn't distract the girl soon that something bad would happen.

The blue eyed girl looked up with wet eyes and momentarily stared blankly at Rin. Suddenly, it was as if she remembered where she was. She blinked a few times and offered a confused smile. Rin, not wanting Kagome's mood to be ruined, jumped up excitedly.

"Hey, dance expert. Help me out with this Capoeira stuff!"

"You aren't seriously going to try to do that stuff?"

"I sure am!" Rin said excitedly as the actual video got past the previews and the movie started.

"You're going to break your arms," Kagome laughed.

So she sat, giggling all the while, watching Rin try to do some of the dance moves. They always watched Capoeira videos together, but she had never seen Rin _attempt_ it. It was hilarious really and Kagome couldn't stop laughing. Rin had given up on following the whole video and continuously paused and tried to do a particular section of the video. Kagome fell off the couch laughing at Rin's pathetic attempts at a handstand.

"Fine then- laugh all you want," Rin pouted after she had fallen flat on her back after her latest attempt. "I don't see you trying."

"Because it's stupid to try," Kagome gasped between laughs. "These guys have been doing this stuff for nearly all of their lives."

Kagome continued to roll on the floor, laughing, and Rin joined in with giggling.

Kohaku had descended the steps and had entered the living room. He lifted an eyebrow and stood over the two laughing college students.

"Do I even want to know?" he chuckled.

"Oh, man, you missed it!" Rin giggled as she attempted to sit up. "I was doing Capoeira," she said with a sneaky smile.

"You were doing _what_?" Souta asked as he joined Kohaku in looking down at the girls. "Since when did you know Capoeira?"

Kagome had been trying to stifle her laughter this whole- it final came bursting out.

"She doesn't," she laughed her reply.

"Shh, Kags. They don't know that!" Rin laughed lightly.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Kagome stood up feeling quite awkward with her younger brother and his friend looking down at her. Running her hand through her hair, she sighed gently. Her eyes connected with Sango's little brother's eyes. She always found it awkward when she visited home- Kohaku had been living with her family. The boy was quiet and observant, just like his sister. Her heart made it a hard task to look at the young boy. He looked so much like his big sister- his eyes held a ton of brown, however. He was a warm boy, nonetheless.

"Rin, you suck so badly at Capoeira!" Kagome laughed, tearing her eyes away from Kohaku as she tried to push the images of Sango from her head. She felt as if she were going crazy; constantly thinking about Sango the way she was.

"I'd like to see you try," Rin pouted playfully.

"And look like a fool?" Kagome laughed, remembering Rin's attempts.

"Yeah, Kagome. Give it a try," Souta egged.

"You guys can't be serious," Kagome stopped laughing.

"You know you want to," Rin persuaded. She knew Kagome loved to dance and any new style was a challenge to her. She also knew that Kagome hadn't gone dancing in a long while and she could feel the tension pouring off her roommate.

"Yeah, Kagome. Souta tells me you're an amazing dancer," Kohaku smiled.

"I can't believe I'm going to do this," the blue eyed girl muttered as she pulled her hair back into a low ponytail with a hair band on her wrist. Rin started the video and Kagome stood for a second trying to find the rhythm.

Suddenly, she jumped into the swinging movement called a _ginga_ easily mimicking the dancer on the screen. She rolled out of that movement into a broken cartwheel, stopping only to not flip into the couch. Easing her feet down, she stood, feeling a little dizzy from the half tumble.

"Man, Kagome- that was insane," Kohaku said, impressed by her mimicking the first move and a half that had been done simultaneously by the dancer on the television. He had always known Kagome was a great dancer, but he had never seen her use her memory to copy a dance move. He wondered exactly what all she could do.

Kagome sat on the couch suddenly, not liking the spinning that her head was doing.

"Gees, how do those guys not pass out from getting dizzy?" she muttered, shutting her eyes a bit.

"Well, they spot their opponent and never break the stare," Kohaku observed as he watched the man do a handless cartwheel.

Kagome opened her eyes and gave Kohaku a questioning glance. She again tore her eyes away from his face and looked at the TV, instantly recognizing what he was talking about.

"That makes sense." Kagome nodded. "Thanks," she tacked onto the end awkwardly.

"No problem," his smile was brilliant, just like his sister's. "Sango was telling me that you might come along to see one of the shows in the tour. She's really excited about that; are you going to go?"

"I don't know… It really depends on my class schedule; I'm trying to focus on my studies so I can graduate next year," the blue eyed girl explained.

"Well if you do end up going, Sango will be very happy to see you. She's always talking about you nowadays," Kohaku chuckled.

Kagome was once again sucked into her mind. Just hearing that Sango even thought about her made her heart soar. She really wanted to see Sango again as well- but she didn't want to get her hopes up. Sango's intentions were not romantic. Sango had a girlfriend and Kagome knew they were in a serious relationship. Kagome knew that she could be nothing more than a friend to Sango, so why set her heart up for hurt? She loved Sango- but it was too late for Sango to love her back.

* * *

Kikyo stood in the doorway, waiting for it to be opened for her. She was becoming quite the impatient one. Sango and Rayne were hours late for the practice and she had been sent to retrieve the two. She heard the door unlock and felt relieved just a bit. When it was not opened, however, she was slightly pissed. She opened up the door and let herself in.

"Hey Kikyo," the retreating form of Sango disappeared down the hallway.

"Hey," the girl replied, irritated that Sango was walking around in her underwear. She must've just finished with a shower- but that meant that the two had completely disregarded the time that they had scheduled.

"Fuck, do you two know what time it is?" Kikyo complained, shutting the door behind her and heading into the kitchen to get a drink.

She stopped in her tracks when she spotted Rayne sitting at the table with a cup of yogurt in hand. She was aimlessly swirling her spoon around in it. Her dark blue eyes, which were downcast and sullen, were circumscribed by dark rings. Her hair wasn't done up crazily, like it usually was and hung limp and wet about her face. Her knuckles were covered in dark, disgusting bruises and a few other spots on her skin were darkening as well. Rayne stopped swirling her spoon around and looked up after realizing someone was watching her.

"What happened to you?" Kikyo finally found her voice after her throat had tightened after seeing the girl's pathetic glance.

Rayne didn't reply but began to shovel yogurt into her mouth. Kikyo took a seat across from her.

"Hey, Rayne… do you want to talk about it?" the bassist asked gently.

The drummer looked up again, her eyebrows furrowing quite the bit.

"Do I have…? Do I have a chance against her?" her lower lip trembled slightly.

"What?" Kikyo was thoroughly confused. What was Rayne talking about? Why was she covered in bruises and what the hell happened to her hands? They looked swollen as well- this couldn't be good for the band. Not at all.

Rayne shook her head and set her jaw- she shouldn't be doing stuff like feeling sorry for herself. That was selfish.

"What happened to your hands, Rayne?" Kikyo asked again. At times, Kikyo found herself looking after the younger girl. Rayne was so reckless that she often did things without realizing she was injured. At a concert, once, she had tripped over an amplifier cord and her drumsticks had shattered in her hands. She was given replacement sticks and played the whole concert, bleeding all over. She hadn't even realized until blood began to splatter on the white faces of her toms.

The blue eyed girl looked down at her knuckles and lifted an eyebrow, obviously surprised.

"Oh… I, um, got upset last night… I punched a wall or two, I think. I don't really remember," she said pushing her chair back and standing.

"What happened last night?" Kikyo asked, tucking errant strands of her long dark hair behind her ears.

"Nothing really- I was just acting stupid like usual. You shouldn't worry about it," Rayne said, pressing a blinding smile.

"Oh… well then- why did you guys not show up to rehearsal?" the pale bassist asked with a calculating look.

"We slept in," Sango replied from behind her old roommate.

Kikyo looked behind her to give Sango a judging look. The green eyed girl didn't look all that great herself. She looked ridiculously tired, but that was all she let be seen.

"Deeper and deeper into this tangled web we struggle," Kikyo sighed.

Rayne gave Kikyo an annoyed look- she always found Kikyo's cryptic language irritating. She didn't understand why Kikyo couldn't just come out and say what she wanted. To make everything she said a mystery was just pointless to her. She supposed that was what made her a good lyricist and she dealt with it.

"Yeah, whatever," Rayne shrugged as she left the kitchen. "Are you guys coming?" she asked as she pulled the door open and exited through it.

Sango started forward, but her hand was caught by Kikyo. Her green eyes traced over the pale girl's face, seeing the aching similarities between her and Kagome, still. Dark brown eyes coldly searched hers before she tore her stare away.

"What do you want, Kikyo?" Sango breathed tiredly. Why did they have to look so much alike? It was paining her inside.

"You _will_ tell me what's going on with Rayne. The health of this band depends on it," she spoke in a clipped manner.

Sango pulled her hand away, annoyed with Kikyo at the moment. Silently, she followed the girl outside and locked the door. The two walked silently to where Kikyo had parked her car. The tall drummer stood behind the white sports car, clenching and unclenching her fists. She winced lightly, regretting the harassment she had induced upon herself. Rehearsal was going to be a bitch.

The ride to the soundproof studio that was donated to the band was short and quick. England had quickly embraced the group and the secondary headquarters of their record label, which was situated there, seemed to be ignoring all of the other signed artists that were currently in the country and giving the new and popular band their undivided attention. Kirara would be leaving the country soon, however, so they supposed that the UK headquarters wanted their stay to be fantastic.

Sango, Kikyo, and Rayne piled out of the car heading towards the entrance of the building. They waved a hasty hello to the people in the lobby and at the front desk and made their way down into the basement to their recording studio. Inside the drum set and mikes stands were set up.

"Where the fuck were you?" their lead guitarist, Hakudoshi complained instantly. He was a pale, cynical young man about the age of twenty-seven. He had this theme about him that was pale- his skin was pale, his hair was pale, his eyes were pale, and all the clothing he wore seemed to be pale and faded. His guitars, however, were always black.

"We slept in- chill. It's just practice," Sango brushed him off.

His mouth fell open at her nonchalance. Everyone's mouth fell open. Sango, who had been practicing as if she were possessed for the past few weeks, just said "It's just practice" as if she hadn't been obsessing over practices the past few weeks. What was wrong with her?

"Uh, Sango?"

She quickly collected her guitar and played the strings a little to see if they were properly tuned.

"Yes, what is it?" she asked absently plucking at her strings. When he didn't reply, Sango looked up to see their bewildered faces.

"Did I do something wrong?"

No one answered her- she was acting strange. Hakudoshi was just confused; he didn't know what was going on. He was even beginning to doubt that this was his band mate standing before him. Kikyo was worried that it had something to do with whatever happened between the two other women of the band. Rayne was simply astonished by Sango's behavior. Certainly this perplexing behavior had nothing to do with the events that had occurred the previous night. This wasn't a reasonable response to something like that.

"Well, let's get started," Sango mumbled taking her amp cord and wireless headset into the room.

Hakudoshi gave the other three questioning glances, with an eyebrow cocked upward. The other two halfheartedly shrugged their shoulders, following the girl inside. They set to tuning the instruments slightly and then began practice. Rayne was playing lightly on her snare as her feet worked the pedals for the bass drum and hi-hat cymbal. Her hands were already killing her halfway into the warm up. Kikyo was watching her from the corner of her eye.

"Alright, you guys. For warm up, we're going to play a little of the new song we were learning," Sango decided. The green eyed musician thought this was a good idea seeing as the song worked her vocals slightly, gave Hakudoshi and Kikyo something fun to play, and warmed Rayne up a bit all in one. "That'll put is in Drop C, Haku," Sango reminded.

Once getting the "ok" from the rest of the group, Rayne adjusted her isolation headphones and started playing the short drum solo at the beginning. Everyone was breezing through the song- it wasn't a difficult song at all. Rayne, however, was having trouble. Her hands were killing her, and she was just wishing with all of her heart that the song would soon come to an end-perhaps Sango would decide that was enough.

As they neared the end of the second chorus, unfortunately for her, the pain was just unbearable. Her hands numbed and she lost control of her drumsticks. They were no longer in her hands, so she stopped playing. Everyone else did as well, and they all looked at her. She was breathing heavily, apprehensive of what was to come.

"Everyone, out," Sango said, shutting her eyes obviously trying to alleviate the frustration that was building in her. When she opened them again, the three of them were still there. "I said out!" she screamed. Kikyo was the first to shed her headphones, practically throwing them from her head.

She stormed from the room and Hakudoshi followed after her silently. Rayne was still sitting at her drum set, looking on with surprise written on her face at her drumsticks sitting in the middle of the room. Her eyes watered lightly. She was frustrated thoroughly. She didn't know why she was acting the way she was. Why she was crying and messing up. She _hated_ messing up.

Sango swung her guitar to her back and quickly made her way to Rayne, kneeling next to the younger woman.

"What happened to your hands, Ray?"

The concern in her voice was evident and Rayne wondered if she had really been angry when she had ordered everyone out earlier. The blue eyed drummer couldn't meet her girlfriend's eyes and stared to her right.

"Please, Ray. Tell me what happened to your hands," Sango pleaded softly. "I don't care that you messed up. I know you're good enough to be in this band. I just want to know what happened to your hands. You're hurt, you can't play like this."

"I can!" she choked on her tears. "I can do it! Please, just give me another chance!"

"Rayne," Sango said firmly, gently taking a swollen hand into hers. Rayne looked down indignantly into Sango's eyes. "You're hands are busted. Look at them."

Rayne looked down at her hands that were held in Sango's. They were simply disgusting looking.

"After I left, last night…. I punched a wall…. I was angry- _it was stupid_. I'm sorry."

"Yes- it _was_ stupid. _What's even more stupid_ is that you thought you could play with your hands twice their normal size," Sango laughed bitterly. Standing, Sango gently pulled the girl up.

"You need some ice," she said with a gentle smile.

Rayne looked up into Sango's deep green eyes and despite the fact that she couldn't see love, she could see caring and that was all that she wanted from Sango right now. It was amazing to her that after simply a few months, Sango's effect on her hadn't waned the slightest degree. Looking into her eyes still made her heart pound in her ears and her cheeks flush. Sango kissed her briefly on the cheek before they left the room. All was well again.

* * *

Kagome sat with a book in her hands as she watched Rin, Kohaku, and Souta take turns on the DDR pads. No matter how good a dancer Kagome was, she could never entirely enjoy DDR. She was ridiculously good at it, of course do to the memorization of the arrow directions for a lot of the songs- but she never got a lot of enjoyment out of playing the game. Perhaps it were the fact that she knew the rush of _real_ dancing was far greater than scoring perfect by stomping her feet.

Leaning back against the chair, she shut her eyes. Her mind wandered off quickly to the decision she knew she would soon have to make. It wasn't a necessarily hard decision; it was just the fact that what would fuel her answer was simply the hollow echo in her heart. She really wanted to see Sango again, just to talk and hang out… Like they used to. But there was more to that, and she knew it. Half of her wanted this reunion to be a romantic meeting of anguished hearts. All of her knew that that was simply stupid of her to think. Sango's hugs would be docile; her words would have no emotional depth.

It angered the young scholar, to know this. She was mostly angry at _herself_. How _stupid_ could she have been? How fucking stupid was she? Why did she do what she did? What the hell was wrong with her? Did she have no shame- did she not realize what she was doing? When she thought deeply, dug down into the crevices of her mind she simply did not know. She knew that she wasn't thinking at all when she had led her professor into her dorm. Was she drunk that day? High, perhaps? No, she was simply crazy- no one in their right mind would've done that. No one like Kagome at least. And now she had to live with that mistake. Kagome had to live with the shame and _regret_. Because of her stupidity, she lost the _single thing_ in her life she really _loved_ and cared about.

"Kagome?"

She jumped slightly, surprised to hear her name being called. Tears were on her cheeks. She quickly wiped them from her face and located the source of her beckon. Rin, who was waiting her turn to play, was looking down at her with concern.

"Are you ok?" Rin asked, starting over to her.

"Yeah," Kagome said quickly, to stop Rin's advance. "I'm just, uh."

Kagome quickly stood up. "I'm going to go up to my room and read a little- I'm getting distracted by the music," lies were coming easily to her. She left hurriedly, before Rin had time to further investigate the situation.

In her room, Kagome fell into her bed.

"What's wrong with me?" she thought to herself. She only wanted to just think once about Sango and remember the great times they had spent together- not her fatal mistake. Why couldn't she remember the good times? Why was there this big block in her mind…? Perhaps she should just give up. Continuously doing something and expecting a different outcome was simply insanity. She wasn't insane- she could still think straight…. But why? She wanted to get over Sango and rekindle their friendship, but she couldn't do that while she still loved the musician the way she did. How to make her heart realize that Sango's love could never feed it anymore?

The only thing that kept coming to her mind was to move on as Sango had done, but who would she find to distract herself with. Rin was certainly out of the question, and InuYasha had long since moved on. She was completely halfhearted with the whole idea to begin with. There really was no "learning to love" someone. That was all bullshit. Unless you loved them from the start, there was nothing else out there. There was nothing you could do to give yourself to that person. It would all be a lie- Kagome was sick of living a lie.

She was startled by her cell phone ringing. She reached over and grabbed it off of her bedside table. Flipping it open, she put it to her ear.

"Hello?" she asked tired.

"_Hey, it's Reiki,"_ a sweet voice spoke to her.

"Oh, hi," Kagome said with a gentle smile. Reiki was so cute- she hoped the young girl would find success wherever her intellect took her. "How was your test yesterday?"

"_It was alright…. I'm still a bit apprehensive about getting the grade back,"_ she said with a soft chuckle.

"I'm sure you did alright. You've been studying very hard," Kagome assured wholeheartedly.

"_Yes, and I can't thank you enough. I started that test more confident in passing than I ever have been in my life," _Reiki spoke again. It never ceased to amaze Kagome at how shy Reiki was- you'd think after spending so much time with someone nearly every day, you'd open up a little…. But perhaps it wasn't the younger girl's fault… Perhaps it was Kagome's fault for reserving her emotions. The blue eyed girl was afraid of opening up to the younger girl because she knew that the admiration she felt for the younger girl was returned to her sevenfold. She knew the younger girl had a serious case of hero-worship.

Things like that could evolve into much more and _that_ was what kept Kagome from opening up more to her.

But that wasn't fair to the younger girl. For her to stick around Kagome for so long after the older scholar had been so cold to her at times…. It showed loyalty that was deserving of friendship.

"You're so smart, though, Rei," Kagome giggled. When the younger girl didn't reply Kagome continued, "Are you busy tonight?"

"_Huh? W-what?"_ Reiki's heart was pounding relentlessly hard in her chest. She wasn't sure if she had heard right.

"Are you doing anything tonight? Rin and I were going to go to the mall; would you like to come?"

It took a while for the girl to reply because her throat had closed up on her. With a flushed face and her heart beating happily in her chest, she replied, _"Yes! I mean, no! I mean, I'm not busy, I'd love to come."_

Kagome laughed at the spluttering young girl, only finding that cute as well.

"Ok, well we'll be by your dorm to pick you up around six or so; which of the dorms do you stay in on north campus?" Kagome asked, knowing all of the freshmen dorms were situated there.

The young scholar told Kagome her location and bid the older girl farewell. Kagome was quite satisfied with herself. She was finally going to make a new friend for real. She couldn't feel prouder. She bounded downstairs with a smile and tackled Rin in a hug.

"Hey, want to go to the mall later?" she asked slyly.

"Yeah, sure! Sounds like fun," Rin replied as Kohaku and Souta looked on in surprise.

"We're leaving around five thirty, I invited Reiki," Kagome continued.

"Oh, ok," Rin said, surprised by the details. Kagome had invited Reiki, which was a first. It wasn't like Kagome didn't have other friends than her. There was Eri, Ami, Yumi, and a bunch of others that included Reiki as well; but she had never actually seen Kagome hang out with them like she did with her. It was as if they were merely acquaintances to her. For Kagome to invite someone along… she didn't know what to think of the situation. She didn't know how to read Kagome anymore- not after Sango broke up with her. Kagome had become a master at internalizing and hiding things from her. To try to read her actions would put her at a dead end.

"Oh, can we come please!! There's this new game out that I want to get!" Souta pleaded desperately breaking Rin from her train of thought.

"Sure, whatever," Kagome rolled her eyes. "Just remember not to get in trouble and to call me when you're done doing whatever."

"Yes!" Souta celebrated, giving Kohaku a high five. "When's mom supposed to be getting home?"

"She'll be here in a few minutes, why?" Kagome asked, cocking an eyebrow upward.

Souta's brown eyes widened considerably and he ran a hand through his short black hair.

"_SHIT_! She'll never let me go if I don't clean my room!"

He bolted upstairs quickly. Kohaku chuckled and followed him at a much safer pace.

* * *

**Review please!  
-Enigmatic Ethereality**


	3. Chapter 3: Hallelujah

**I was so excited by the _crippling ammount_ of reviews that I got! (haha, that's sarcasm.) Anyways, thanks to you all (more like you 2) who reviewed! It means a lot to me. Hopefully you'll like this chapter- I found it to be very fun to write. I titled the chapter after Paramore's song Hallelujah (not Jeff Buckley's), for apparant reasons (well, maybe not so apparant...) please Read and review.**

**Rated: ****Mature** for mature themes/situations, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha. I do, however, own a volleyball (3 to be correct.)

* * *

**Chapter 3: Hallelujah**

Sango shut her eyes and popped a piece of gum into her mouth. The plane would be landing soon and she didn't want to get a headache due to the drop in altitude. Rayne sat beside her, asleep, mouth slightly ajar. She reached over and buckled her seatbelt for her, wondering whether she should just wake her now. The flight attendant was making her rounds on the private jet to check that all the band members were wearing their seatbelts.

Green eyes examined a beautiful face. Sango wished things didn't have to be the way they were. Rayne was a beautiful woman; she had gorgeous eyes, a lovely face, perfect lips…. Why couldn't she just love the drummer? Rayne did nothing but love her- so why couldn't she love her back. Why couldn't she just move on? Why wasn't the illusion of love taking control? She couldn't possibly still love Kagome, not with what the blue eyed girl had put her through. Kagome had made a mistake and she needed to learn from it. Sango going running back to her wasn't going to do anything. But Sango wanted more and more as the days wore on to go back to Kagome.

"No," she thought bitterly. "I can't. People don't change so easily, no matter what…. I'll only be hurt again."

Gently, she cradled Rayne's hand in hers carefully, aware of the injuries she had sustained days earlier. She looked back up at her girlfriend to see that she was awake. Her deep blue eyes were staring at her. The two stared at each other shamelessly; a blush was creeping up to Rayne's cheeks. Sango's intense eyes always made her blush. She leaned forward, seeking a kiss. Sango's mind was screaming no! She didn't really want to kiss Rayne. She didn't want to lead her on any longer.

Perhaps it was a mistake that Sango only leaned further and gently pressed her lips against her girlfriend's briefly.

"How did you sleep?" Sango asked as Rayne licked her lips after they broke the kiss.

"Alright…. As well as you could possibly sleep on a plane," she muttered.

Sango smirked a bit and sighed, "Do you want some gum?"

"Is my breath bad or something?" Rayne mumbled with a blush and a worried look.

"No, we're about to land," she laughed her reply.

"Sure," Rayne chuckled awkwardly as she took a piece from Sango.

The plane landed shortly after and the members of Kirara piled into a van that was transporting them to the hotel they were supposed to be staying in. InuYasha was driving this van and he and Sango kept a conversation going for the whole while.

"Hey, 'Yash, thanks for coming to pick us up," Sango said to the man who lived near where they were staying.

"No problem," he said pushing his bangs out of the way just a bit. His hair was still dark black and long. It fit his handsome face more than it did before, however. "I should actually be the one thanking you- for choosing this airport to land in and all."

"Yeah, I figured you'd like to see your Kinky-ho… I mean, Kikyo," Sango snickered. She looked over her shoulder, smiling innocently, to see Kikyo glaring daggers at her with a bright blush across her pale face.

"Sango, you're lucky your bitch is a part of this band- you don't have to suffer," she remarked coldly. Causing Rayne, who was seated in the middle, to make a face- she had always gotten the vibe that Kikyo just didn't like her. She had yet to learn that everyone got that vibe from her.

"At least you have a bitch," Hakudoshi said to Kikyo referring to his nonexistent love life.

"Hey! Who're ya callin' a bitch?!" InuYasha exclaimed, fuming in the front seat. "Lick my balls," he mumbled under his breath.

They all laughed a little at InuYasha's outburst. Sango remembered back to when InuYasha used to spend a lot of time with her and Kagome. The blue eyed girl would always parallel their male friend with an angry dog and tell him to "sit". Miraculously, whether it'd be out of indignation or just pure coincidence, InuYasha would always silence himself at that point, do his infamous "feh" grunt and grumble silently. Perhaps it was because he loved and respected Kagome so much.

"Hey Sango, since I'm a bitch now," InuYasha said with feigned irritation, "Remember when Kagome used to tell me to sit like I was some kind of dog or somethin'?"

"Yeah," she laughed, feeling a bit pained. "I was just thinking about that."

"Ah, I miss her screaming, "sit boy!" when I did something stupid. She kept me in check, ya know? I haven't talked to her in a while… I wonder how she's doing," he reminisced.

"I don't know really… I haven't talked to her in a while either," Sango confessed. It had been nearly a week since she had talked to Kagome that night on the phone. She had been itching to call the student, but didn't want to seem like she was pressuring her into deciding whether or not to come to a concert.

"Word on the street is that she's with a cute brunette," the amber eyed man continued, taking a sidelong glance at Sango to gauge her reaction. Her eyes widened considerably and a look of surprise slipped onto her features. Her urge to laugh at InuYasha using the expression "word on the street" was overpowered by the sudden disappointment she felt. But she shouldn't be feeling disappointed- this was what she wanted. She wanted to be done with Kagome for good. What better way to do that then to have them both dating someone else…. Perhaps Kagome had _really_ gotten over her- she sounded like she had on the phone.

"R-really? That's good," Sango feigned happiness. Well she tried at least… Her words were obviously empty. Empty like the feeling she had inside.

"Is that really good, Sango? Really?" InuYasha pressed, actually turning his head to look Sango in the eye briefly as they stopped at a light. Sango blushed and looked away.

"Maybe that's why she's having a hard time responding to my invitation… I didn't even take into account that she could probably be dating someone," Sango muttered to herself.

"Invitation?" Kikyo, who was seated behind the passenger seat which was occupied by Sango, echoed when she heard her. "Invitation to what?"

"I…. uh, invited Kagome to our tour… I thought she'd like to come and catch up a little, meet Rayne, hang out," Sango said with a blush. Her reasons sounded so lame- she wondered if they could see through her faux paper, maybe even hold it up to a light and look right through it.

"Oh, that was nice of you," Kikyo said calculatingly. "I know you two haven't really talked much since the incident. It looks bad, though. With you seeing your brother twice a month and not saying anything to Kagome."

"I know… I was still a little angry, I guess…. A little scared- but I'm over that. I want us to be the good friends we were before," Sango said with a wry smile.

"Does she really look like Kikyo?" Hakudoshi butted in.

"Yeah, she does," InuYasha said with a gentle smile. "Not exactly, but the similarities are uncanny."

"Are you sure she's dating someone InuYasha? 'Cause if she's not, I'd love to get a chance to talk to her," he said in a dead serious tone. Hakudoshi found Kikyo very attractive, any girl that looked like her even a little bit was gorgeous in his books.

"No offence, man, but you're way too _creepy_ to even look at Kagome. Plus, she's way outta your league," InuYasha snorted.

"Out of my league?! How is that even possible?" He was a famous rock star; in his mind, no one was out of his league.

"She'll dance circles around that little calculating mind you have," he replied easily.

"She's that smart, huh? I think I caught wind of that from Kikyo," he muttered. Hakudoshi didn't like when his women were more intelligent than he was. His intellect was something that he lauded and liked to have praised by others as well; if his girlfriend was smarter than him, then it defeated the whole purpose.

"Looks like I'll just have to settle for Kikyo," Hakudoshi continued lazily.

This angered InuYasha just a bit- he was an easily jealous guy.

"Ow!" Hakudoshi exclaimed, cradling the cheek that had just been punched pretty hard. "Fwhact teh fucck whas thaht fpor?! (What the fuck was that for?!)" he wiggled his jaw in pain.

"I believe you inadvertently called me stupid," Kikyo replied coldly as she cracked the knuckles which had just become acquainted with Hakudoshi's face. She had leaned across Rayne, who had been stifling her laughter, to punch Hakudoshi.

They rest of the passengers laughed.

"Khai difdnt meehn itc lichk thaht, (I didn't mean it like that)" he defended with a lisp due to the pain. It kind of sounded like German.

"Oh, but you did," Rayne laughed, not even trying to hold her laughter in any longer.

* * *

Kagome parked her car in the parking lot of Reiki's dorm. The young freshman had been spending a lot of time with the two roommates. After inviting her to the mall, Kagome found that she rather enjoyed Reiki's company. The girl was shy but exciting in her own, quiet, kind of way. She and Rin got along just well and Kagome decided she was a good addition to the duo.

Another week was rounding up and Kagome was debating on whether or not to invite Reiki to join in the camaraderie that usually occurred on her house on weekends when Rin tagged along. She knew her mother would love Reiki, because the green eyed girl would remind the woman of her own daughter. The two young boys would open right up to her, and she would easily become very comfortable in the setting.

"Kagome?"

This startled the blue eyed girl just a bit. She looked up to meet questioning green eyes. Kagome just noticed how lovely and dark the other girl's eyelashes were. They made her eyes even more beautiful.

"Yeah?" Kagome said, shaking that thought away forcefully.

"Are you going to help me with my stuff?" Reiki asked hesitantly, not really sure whether or not she should request help.

"Oh, yeah, of course," Kagome said getting out of the car and grabbing the rest of the books that lay in the back seat. Reiki was lucky that her book bag happened to break on the rare occasion that Kagome driven her car to the library. The blue eyed scholar usually liked to walk or bike from her dorm to the library because the distance wasn't too far.

"Thank you," Reiki said softly as she stood quietly with the rest of her books in her arm waiting for Kagome to lock her car. Reiki silently led the way up the flights of stairs to the fourth floor, where she stayed.

"Gees, you live on the top floor?" Kagome grumbled lightly.

"Ah, yeah," Reiki gave a slight giggle. "Sorry for not telling you- it's quite the work out."

"Yeah," Kagome said absently.

"No wonder her legs are so nice," she thought to herself. And before she could stop herself, she was watching Reiki's slender legs work up the last few steps. She was wearing a decently short sundress that rode up on the opposite side every time she took a step up. Just a little further and….

"Ah fuck!" Kagome swore when she realized what she was doing.

"Huh?" Reiki asked as she stopped on the landing and looked back at Kagome who had froze a few steps down.

"I uh… I… I forgot to unplug my laptop!" Kagome lied with a strained smile.

Reiki cocked an eyebrow upwards and then smiled, shaking her head at Kagome.

"You're silly," she said cutely as she turned down the hallway.

Kagome caught up easily, slightly disgusted with herself. Having such dirty thoughts about such an innocent girl was simply disgusting to her.

"Gees, what's wrong with me?" she thought with distress.

"Hey Kags, where are you going?" Reiki called out to her.

Kagome stopped and turned to see that Reiki had stopped a few doors down. She blushed and hurried back to where the girl was standing, offering a nervous chuckle. Reiki laughed lightly and unlocked her door, letting herself in. Only half of the room was set up. A ton of belongings were sitting around in boxes and seemed to have been like that for a while, due to the dust collecting on them.

"Rei, you don't have a roommate?" Kagome asked, noticing that it looked like just one person was living in there.

"Ah, no," Reiki said with a blush. "She got kicked out of school for some bad stuff."

"Oh," Kagome said setting the younger girl's things down on the table.

"Bad stuff huh?" she pondered, before chuckling at how ridiculous that sounded. It was like everything Reiki said was adorable. She looked over Reiki's half of the room and noticed how neat and clean everything was. There were a few pictures on the table- but she didn't look at them. She didn't want to invade the young girl's privacy.

"You must get lonely," she felt bad for the younger girl. It's hard enough to adjust to college life- but it seems almost impossible without a roommate. Your roommate can easily become your best friend- someone to go places with. Someone to explore your new life with. Someone to venture out into the world with- someone to spend time with.

"Yeah, I do," Reiki said looking out across the empty room.

"Well," Kagome said, standing next to her. "You know you can always hang out with Rin and me," she said with an encouraging smile.

The smile that lit Reiki's face was amazing. Kagome just felt her heart warm at the sight.

"Thanks Kagome- you don't know how much I appreciate your friendship," she said looking away from the older girl with a blush.

Kagome was silently examining Reiki. She was so adorably cute that it was sickening. The older girl gently set her hand on Reiki's shoulder. The younger girl looked up, surprised by the contact. Their eyes snagged and for a moment, it was as if there was nothing else in the room. Kagome was the first to break out of the trance when she saw Reiki's eyes wander downward from her eyes slightly.

"Well, I um… I was wondering if you'd like to spend the weekend at my house," Kagome propositioned, removing her hand. "Rin usually comes over and it's fun." Kagome blushed profusely as she caught hold of Reiki's green gaze once again.

Reiki blushed and broke her gaze, "Maybe. I'll have to check with my dad to see if it's alright."

"Oh, ok. Well I'm going to get going; I'll see you tomorrow perhaps," Kagome said with an awkward laugh and a smile.

"Yeah, bye Kagome," Reiki waved with a small smile.

Kagome let herself out of the room and hurriedly made her way down the hall with a billion thoughts running through her head at a reckless speed. She knew she had been feeling something akin to attraction; it had surpassed sisterly interaction long ago. She could feel it and she knew Reiki could feel it too. The tension was slowly building, and she wondered if it was the best thing for her to invite the younger girl over to her house. The possibility of something happening that weekend would be boosted ridiculously high due to the amount of time the girls would be spending together. She kind of wanted it to happen; she wanted an excuse to not love Sango anymore. Of course that would never happen, but perhaps she could love Reiki even more…

"What am I even thinking?" she mumbled once she got to her car. "It's not like we're already…"

No, they weren't dating but the static that was sparking between them was ridiculously palpable. Kagome wondered if Reiki would still request to come over. She wondered if the younger girl even wanted _it_ to happen. She knew she'd get her answer once she got Reiki's response on whether or not she'd be attending… She was apprehensive of this, however. _She didn't want it to happen_. She didn't want to even embark on the idea of the possibility of a relationship. She didn't want to because she knew her heart would truly never be in it.

She could never love anyone the way she loved Sango.

And it was that simple reality that had kept her from starting a relationship with anyone. She didn't ever keep up communication with people who were obviously interested in her, she didn't go out anymore, and she barely even socialized anymore. She couldn't risk meeting anyone- she knew she'd be lonely enough to say yes and it just wouldn't be fair to them. They'd be putting amazing amounts of effort and emotion into their unity, and Kagome would only be able to offer her minimum.

She couldn't possibly do that to Reiki.

So as she continued to drive, passing the hospital that held her university's name, she promised herself she wouldn't hurt Reiki like that. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she did. She drove past the library and got to her dorm. She ran up to her dorm room, aching to talk to Rin. The shorter girl wasn't the greatest at giving advice, but she was sure to listen well.

"Rin," Kagome breathed desperately as she stumbled into the room clumsily.

"Whoa, Kags chill," Rin said, taken aback by her roomie's entry.

"I've got a problem…. Well it's not a problem; but it is something that's on my mind and I'd like to share it with you," Kagome said, kicking her shoes off. She quickly grabbed a pencil and her sketchbook which had lie on her desk, unused, for the longest time.

"Oh? Well you know I'm here to listen," Rin said, looking a little worried. "Come on up," she said, requesting that Kagome climb up into her bunk. The blue eyed girl warily did just that, careful not to take a dive. She seated herself comfortably next to Rin who rolled her eyes and forced Kagome to lie down to get comfortable.

"Ok, now that you're up here," Rin propped her chin in her palm, which was supported by her arm. Her elbow sunk into the softness of the comforter. "Let's chat," she finished.

* * *

Sango hummed quietly along to music that was playing on the radio as she drove. Rayne had fallen asleep beside her a long while ago and was resting, due to the fact that she had still not recovered from the travel. A song of Kirara's began to play and she felt herself overcome with the impulse to laugh just thinking about how the band used to react when hearing their songs on the radio. They used to crank it up really loud and sing along. The excitement of having a song on the radio had long since left Sango. She was certainly used to it now.

The musician wondered if Kagome listened to her music. Well, she knew that Kagome certainly liked her style- whilst making the music with Kikyo and Hakudoshi that was one thing she focused on. She felt as if she had written the music for Kagome. Every song reflected something that she and Kagome discussed when talking about songs that they liked. So maybe the music was good enough for the blue eyed girl, but did Kagome actually listen to it? Had she bought the CD? Had she added the album to her iPod? Had she danced to the music- sung along, perhaps?

Frowning, Sango wondered if Kagome even thought of her anymore. The green eyed musician wondered if Kagome even cared anymore. It didn't seem like it. Kagome hadn't ever called her back with a reply. She hadn't ever called back to even tell her that she wasn't interested. She didn't even want to talk to her. She had obviously moved on.

Kagome didn't feel the way that Sango did. Kagome wasn't hoping, secretly in her heart, that Sango would take her back. Kagome had moved on quite well- she wasn't going to be her bitch any longer. She wasn't going to take this from Sango. Yeah, she had made a mistake- big whoop. Sango should've taken her back by then. But Sango hadn't, and so she just gave up on caring. She could live without her- she could move on. She hadn't really given her heart completely to Sango, anyways. There was no way she could have, cheating the way she had.

Well, at least that was what Sango thought and these disappointing thoughts were filling the musician with melancholic feelings. She felt as if she had made a terrible mistake those years ago when finally relaying to Kagome how she felt about her. She felt as if she had put all of her effort into a meaningless relationship- why hadn't she seen that Kagome just wasn't right for her? Why hadn't she noticed before she had gotten in over her head? It had looked like Kagome was just as deeply in love with her- the act was quite convincing. But that authenticity was what threw Sango off.

No one could _act_ so in love- it just wasn't possible. Sango had a hard time believing that Kagome had been putting up an act. So everything that she thought merely contradicted itself. The only thing that kept her sullen was the fact that Kagome had, in fact, cheated on her. You couldn't possibly love someone _so much_ and cheat on them; especially not a girl like Kagome. Yeah, there were sluts out there who could, in fact, love someone and go out and shamelessly whore themselves- but Kagome wasn't like that and it simply baffled Sango. Why had Kagome done what she had? What had possessed her to do something like that?

She figured that maybe she just didn't _love_ Kagome the way she should have. Of course she was in love with Kagome and displayed her affections any time she could; that wasn't the _love_ she was thinking about. She was emotionally giving all she had, but perhaps their physical encounters weren't potent enough for Kagome. Maybe Sango hadn't been pleasing her the way she wanted. She feared that her unwillingness to submit to sexual aid was what made her lose Kagome. She damned herself for not even once allowing Kagome to use the items she had wanted, but she just wasn't comfortable with those "items". Sango had never been a girl for penetration, but maybe that was what Kagome had wanted. Sango realized she had never really given that to her.

Sango wanted so badly to just ask Kagome "why" again. Maybe the younger girl would answer with other than silence or "I don't know". Things didn't happen just to happen- everything in life has an explanation. There may be things that have yet to be explained, but those are the things waiting to be figured out. All she wanted to know was "why" because Kagome's answers had not been enough. Not at all. She would've even preferred the disappointing, "You just weren't good enough in bed," over the "I don't know".

"Sango?"

Sango glanced over at Rayne, not realizing she had been up.

"How was your nap?" Sango asked, tiredly.

"It was alright," Rayne mumbled incoherently, trying to stretch in the cramped space of the car.

"Are you hungry?"

"A little," Rayne blushed, surprised at how well Sango knew her. Sango knew that after a long nap, Rayne always woke up hungry.

"Good, cause I am too," Sango laughed. "We'll stop to grab some food somewhere and then you can drive the rest of the way."

"Oh, how far are we?" Rayne asked looking out into the dark, still half asleep. Her eyes were struggling to keep open.

"Not too far now. We should be getting there around nine or so," she said after glancing at the clock.

"I had the most peculiar dream," Rayne said in a "hardly there" kind of way.

"Oh, really? What was it about?" the musician smirked, ready to be entertained.

That was one thing Sango really enjoyed about Rayne. When she woke up- she really didn't wake up. In fact, she didn't wake up until minutes later. The first ten or so minutes after Rayne woke up, she was still drenched in sleep and her mind was still dreaming. It was fun to have conversation with her at that time because it never made sense. It was as if the girl was high on some sort of illegal drug.

"Well," Rayne began laughing- before even starting. Sango figured it must be a really funny dream. "I dreamt that you were living in the distant past and you dressed like a chick!"

"What?" Sango's eyes narrowed slightly. She didn't dress like a chick? What was the drummer getting at?

"Well, you were wearing one of those Japanese dress thingies."

"A kimono?" Sango coaxed.

"Yup," Rayne giggled. "And InuYasha was wearing one too! Except his was red, and less pretty. And he had a big sword and puppy ears… and his hair was some freakish color... I can't remember if it was purple or silver…. I don't know, but it was weird."

Sango didn't interrupt, so Rayne continued drowsily, "And you had this giant boomerang and there was this _really_ _perverted_ guy who kept trying to feel you up- but you kicked his ass every time he tried. You and InuYasha were on some sort of quest. Kikyo was in it too! Except it wasn't really Kikyo, it was your ex. And she and InuYasha were always flirting together. And there was this cute little red head kid too. Oh wait, Kikyo _was_ in it! She was a crazy ass zombie trying to kill everyone though."

"How bizarre," Sango thought, laughing lightly to herself.

"Yeah, and then, suddenly, this bad ass dude was trying to kill you guys. But you all worked together and sent him running with his tentacles between his legs!"

"Rayne, do you realize how awful that sounds?" Sango said trying to stifle her laughter. You just didn't put the word "tentacles" and the words "between his legs" in the same sentence. (1)

"No, no, no! Let me finish!" Rayne exclaimed, still half asleep. "So then you guys go on this quest!"

"Wait, I thought we already were on a quest," Sango interjected, trying to keep herself from laughing too hard.

Rayne merely stared at her with tired eyes before puckering her lips and making a face of intense thought.

"Oh yeah," she realized.

Sango couldn't help but laughing.

"You know- my dream was pretty cool. I should write it down; maybe someone could make a movie or a show or something out of it," Rayne yawned. (2)

"Ray?"

"Yeah?"

"Go back to sleep, please."

"M'kay, Sango," the girl consented without any problems, getting comfortable in the seat.

Sango chuckled at the girl's behavior.

"A movie out of that?" she continued to laugh. "Ridiculous."

"Oh, and you had this cute little cat named Kirara and it burst into flames and-"she started again.

"Rayne, you need some serious sleep," Sango interrupted.

"Hmm… I think so," she agreed.

* * *

**1- Oh, come on. We all know about "tentacle" jokes. XD well you should if your an Otaku.  
2- Yeah, the irony was corny; I just felt like putting it in there.**

**Until next time!  
-Enigmatic Ethereality**


	4. Chapter 4: Faint Moonlight

**Thank you all the reviews. Sorry I was so late with this update- I had a family crisis the night before i was supposed to update and I didn't get a chance to finish the chapter. But it's finished now! So read and review! XD**

**Rated: ****Mature** for mature themes/situations, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha or any other copyrighted materials. Just the plot, Reiki, and Rayne.

* * *

**Chapter 4: Faint Moonlight**

Kagome's mind was running at ridiculously breakneck speeds that were sure to lead to nothing other than disaster. She was on her way home with Rin riding shotgun and Reiki sitting silently in the back. Bags filled the trunk mercilessly. Kagome had a feeling that she was going to have a blast this weekend, but that feeling was overpowered by the excitement she was filled to the brim with. The blue eyed student knew it was because of their younger acquaintance and she couldn't be more confused.

She didn't understand this excitement; they were just having a simple sleepover. It was just her and her friends, but… Just Reiki being in that equation made her heart and mind race relentlessly. Kagome was appalled by her behavior.

"Damn, Kags get it together!" she mentally chastised herself as she continued on silently. "You're acting like a girl with a crush!"

"Kagome?" Rin questioned hesitantly, eyeing Kagome's vice grip on the steering wheel.

"Huh?" the blue eyed girl replied, visibly relaxing.

"You alright?"

Kagome blushed hotly, and began to stutter.

"I'm… I'm ok. Just a little, oh- I don't know," she trailed off into a mutter and a blush.

"Do you want me to drive?" Rin offered, completely worried about Kagome and her strange behavior.

"No, no- I'm fine," Kagome said with a gentle laugh.

Despite Kagome's strange behavior and mental maladies, they arrived at her house in one piece. Kohaku and Souta were in the living room waiting to greet them… Well, greet them briefly, as they focused completely on the game they were playing. They didn't even break concentration on the game. When they saw Reiki trek in with the other two girls they stopped what they were doing completely, however.

"Reiki! It's good to see you," Souta gushed with a blush high on his cheeks. "Let me help you with that," he offered taking Reiki's bag leaving Rin in the doorway with her own heavy bag and an astonished look on her face. They had completely ignored her- usually they were fumbling to help _her_ the way Souta had done to Reiki just then.

"Would you like anything to drink, Reiki?" Kohaku asked politely earning a raise of an eyebrow from Kagome.

"Oh, um... No, I'm fine," Reiki blushed at the amorous younger boys.

"Oh my g-… Souta! What is your problem?!" Kagome barked a sigh once noticing how nervous they were making Reiki feel again.

When they had arrived at the mall the days before, Kagome had noticed that the boys had not gone off on their own and had, in fact, stayed with the girls. After a few short moments Kagome also realized the ardent appreciation the boys were showing for the youngest girl. It would seem like they both had a serious crush on the young freshman. They pretty much smothered her the whole outing. Reiki looked as if she were literally suffocating in their attention.

"Kagome- please. I'm trying to spit my game," Souta said rolling his eyes at her.

Rin's mouth dropped open at this and her eyes widened. What the hell was wrong with him?

Souta approached Reiki smoothly. His brown eyes were intense as they connected with deep green. Hoping with all his heart his voice wouldn't break, he stood before Reiki.

"So, Reiki, you have a man? 'Cause if you don't, you and I can-"

"You're no man!" Rin burst out laughing. Kagome followed suit and soon Kohaku was laughing as well. Reiki seemed too flustered to even giggle and Souta looked embarrassed.

Reiki looked on with an empty look on her face as she gazed at the three laughing before her and the boy standing, embarrassed, beside her. The whole situation was ridiculous. A boy that was her friend's _little_ brother just asked her out. On top of that, her friends were laughing at it. And to finish it all off, he asked her out like a total idiot. It was all so… absurd.

Reiki started laughing.

At this, Souta stormed off. Kohaku watched on feeling a little regretful. He too had had the intent of asking Reiki out- but he knew that it wasn't such a good idea…. He should've said something to Souta, but what could he have said?

"Oh god, that was funny," Rin laughed, pulling herself up from the ground and onto the couch.

"Hey, you guys," Kohaku started timidly. "It's not the best thing to do; laugh at someone when they just got shot down…"

"Oh, come on Kohaku! You can't tell me that wasn't funny," Rin continued to laugh, helplessly falling to her knees. Reiki seemed to have gotten control of her bearings.

"But Rin," Kohaku started.

"Yo, babe, I want some of yo fine ass," Rin said in a deep voice as she looked up at Kagome sending a kiss her way.

Reiki started laughing again, amazed at how much of a clown Rin was at times. She was by far one of the most interesting people she had ever had the pleasure of meeting.

"Rin, oh my gosh, please. No more," Kagome laughed, flopping down onto the couch.

Reiki was curled up on the couch laughing impossibly hard. She couldn't help it. Rin was so funny! Kagome looked to her right to see Reiki's face covered in mirth. The blue eyed girl decided that Reiki was 

absolutely adorable when she laughed. She continued to watch her laugh for a moment until she realized that they should probably set camp up in her room. She looked up to say something to Rin about it but was met with a knowing gaze of brown. Kagome began to blush steadily, suddenly regretting her decision to confide in Rin her sudden attraction to the younger girl. Rin flashed her an overtly wide smile and stood up once everyone's laughs had dissolved into quiet chuckles.

"Well, that was a nice opening act! Now onto the real fun!" Rin exclaimed.

"No capoeira!" Kohaku exclaimed, chuckling at the thought of Rin's pathetic attempt at the dance style.

"Shut up, 'Haku!" Rin said in a feigned tight voice.

The three started laughing again and Rin rolled her eyes. Rin led the way up into Kagome's room. They all set their things on the floor and Reiki looked around curiously.

"I like your room," Reiki said heading over to the semi-vacant bookshelf. Kagome had taken her favorite books with her to college.

"You'll be seeing this room a lot more," Rin mumbled under her breath before coughing a bit because Kagome shot her a glare. Trying her hardest to avoid Kagome's heated gaze, she bent over her things and began to shuffle through them.

"Thank you Reiki," Kagome said tightly, with a blush on her cheeks. She continued to glare at Rin's back hoping just a little that Rin could feel the heat of her glare.

"Well," Rin said, standing suddenly. She had a few of her things in her arms. "I'm gonna go take a shower, and possibly get these singe marks off my back."

She slipped into the bathroom before she could get hit by Kagome.

The blue eyed girl turned to watch Reiki explore her room a bit more.

"I didn't know you were an artist," Reiki said softly as she looked at some of the pictures Kagome had framed on her wall. That was so… attractive to her.

"Yeah, I like to draw when I have time," Kagome replied blushing as Reiki looked on in awe.

"This is amazing!" the younger girl complimented.

"Thanks," Kagome replied bashfully.

"This is the chapel at school," Reiki said with wide green eyes.

"Yeah- I really liked the design of it. It's what made me decide to go to the school really. It's a really beautiful building," she walked to stand beside Reiki.

"This is really amazing, Kagome," Reiki said again, turning to look at the older girl.

Kagome smiled at this compliment and Reiki smiled back. Reiki's cheeks suddenly turned red and she looked away quickly. Being trapped beneath Kagome's gaze was so… intense. The two stood there for a moment, blushing crazily, hoping the other would say something to break the ice.

"You know, Reiki, I…," Kagome tried, but then lost her guts.

"Kagome, do you… What I mean is… well," Reiki sighed, feeling exasperated.

"How pathetic!"

The two turned to find Rin glaring them down in a _Cobra Starship_ band t-shirt and purple pajama pants. (1)

"Reiki, go take a shower," she ordered.

The younger girl didn't hesitate and quickly gathered her things and left into the bathroom.

"Damn it Kagome! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kagome blushed.

"That illiterate blubbering you were doing!"

"Rin, come on, cut me some slack," Kagome said falling into her bed.

"Look, you like her and it's obvious she likes you! So what the hell is holding you back?" Rin said poking her in the side.

Kagome rolled over due to the discomfort and Rin dove into the bed before she realized that she had fallen into a trap.

"I just… I don't want to hurt her, Rin," Kagome sighed gazing at her friend with confusion saturating her frosty blue eyes.

"I don't understand," Rin said cocking an eyebrow upwards.

"I still love Sango, Rin. It's Sango I think about all the time, and it's Sango I want to be with."

"Sango's gone, Kagome," Rin said softly, aching at the pain she saw eminent in the girl's eyes at her statement.

"Kagome, I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said that," Rin said taking a deep breath. She gently touched Kagome's cheek, but the blue eyed girl pushed her hand away.

"You're right Rin. You're completely right… I just… I feel that maybe," tears gathered in her eyes. She begged with all her being that she wouldn't start crying. She didn't want to cry- not in front of Rin. Especially not in front of Reiki.

"I feel that I won't be able to give her my all," Kagome finally finished, looking up at the ceiling to keep her tears from falling.

"How do you know if you don't try, Kagome?"

"I don't want to hurt her, Rin! That's the last thing I want to do! I won't be able to live with myself if I did… I'd hate myself even more than I do now."

Rin didn't reply, but reached out and wrapped her arms around Kagome, resting her head on her stomach. Kagome hesitantly held Rin to her, sniffling a little. She felt so weak. She felt so weak inside. Her head was hurting her too. She didn't know what to say or what to do anymore. Moments later, the two heard the door to the bathroom open and Reiki emerged. She gave the two on the bed a glance then looked away, feeling a bit like an outcast.

"I'm done," she said timidly.

Kagome pushed Rin off of her and grabbed her things- stumbling into the bathroom. She didn't even glance at Reiki as she brushed tears from her cheeks.

* * *

Sango had pretty much gotten her and Rayne to their destination. They were just driving into the city limits and nostalgia was filling her every crevice as they crept closer and closer to her former home. The green eyed musician was wondering whether or not to stop for food; they'd be at their destination soon. Glancing over, she was surprised to see striking blue eyes.

"Sorry I slept so long," Rayne said softly.

"It's ok," Sango replied, not wanting Rayne to be under any emotional stress. "Do you want to stop for a small snack before we get there? Some chips or a soda?" she suggested.

"That'd be nice," Rayne said looking out of the window, strangely quiet. The moon was full, but the light emanating from it was faint.

Sango didn't say anything as she directed the car into a gas station parking lot. She park and exited the car, locking it as Rayne shut the door. As they walked towards the entrance Sango wondered if Rayne would like Kagome at all. Would she still be acting as strangely as she had this past day or so?

"You grab the chips, and I'll get the candy," Rayne said, startling her.

"Yeah, ok," Sango said as the automatic doors allowed them in. The inside was blindingly bright- just like a standard gas station shop. Sango branched to her left and headed into one of the isles looking for a bag of chips she could share with her girlfriend. Rayne headed into an isle that was filled with a pleasing amount of candy.

Sango selected a bag and turned, hoping to help Rayne decide on some candy. She didn't want them to be in there too long and risk being seen too much.

"Hey, do you have Pocky here?" Rayne asked the teen at the cash register. (2)

His mouth fell open.

She rolled her eyes at him and set the bags of Skittles she had chosen down on the counter top, "Well do you?"

He struggled to shake his head.

Sango walked up to stand beside Rayne, glad to see she had also picked up a bottle of Sprite. She set down the bag of chips and dug into her pocket for some money to give the boy who seemed to have suddenly gone stupid. She pulled out a twenty and set it on the counter. At this the blonde boy jumped.

"Y-y-you're… you're from Kirara!" he exclaimed.

Sango cringed at this and Rayne just stared at him, her eyes dull and her face slack with annoyance.

"Look, just ring up the stuff so we can leave," Rayne bit out, irritated with the teen.

He quickly sprung to life as Sango gave Rayne a strange look. Seeing a permanent marker sitting in a cup with a few pens and another maker that was used to check for counterfeits, the green eyed musician took it and opened it up.

"I can sign the counter, right?" she asked, seeing the boy jump in excitement as he fumbled to put their things in a small bag.

"Of course," he said at an alarming speed.

"Cool," Sango said with a slight smile. She quickly scribbled her signature and handed the marker to Rayne who pouted and did the same.

"Oh shit, I think I'm going to die," the boy said releasing a shaky death.

"Want me to sign anything else?"

After Sango and Rayne signed the boy's t-shirt and took a picture with him, they headed out into the car. Rayne slammed the door and crossed her arms after getting in.

"Rayne, what's your problem?"

"What the fuck was that guy's problem?!" she vented immediately.

"What? Oh, come on Rayne- he's just a fan," Sango said in a conciliatory tone as she started the car and tore out of the parking lot.

"He was looking at you wrong," Rayne muttered, glancing up at Sango's eyes. She received a disbelieving look and started laughing. "He was though," she defended.

"You've got to be kidding me," Sango laughed. Rayne laughed with her.

"Hey, do you remember that time that guy jumped on stage and tried to-"

"Let's not talk about that," Sango cut her off. The blue eyed girl laughed and opened the Sprite with the sound of the carbonated gas rushing out.

"Or, what about that time that one chick flashed you," Rayne continued to laugh.

Sango rolled her eyes, but smiled at Rayne, glad that she wasn't silent and brooding still.

"I'm not the only one who's had strange encounters," Sango retorted with feigned anger and took the soda from the laugh-slackened hand of her girlfriend. Drinking a bit, she handed it back.

At this, Rayne laughed even harder, "I remember when your fan club saw me at that Guitar Center and started harassing me."

"Whoa, what happened?" Sango wondered, having never heard this story.

"A group of girls from your old college just happened to be on the other side of the country in a Guitar Center when I was looking for better isolation headphones. They recognized me and pretty much ambushed me," Rayne said, taking a sip of the soda to get used to it.

"I did not know this!" Sango laughed. "So that's how you found out about the Skittles thing?"

"Yup. Gees- those chicks were scary. Who would've known they were all your friends."

"Oh, Rayne, you have no idea," Sango chuckled as she turned down an empty neighborhood street.

"You sleep with any of them?"

Sango clenched her jaw and looked over at Rayne, puzzled.

"Oh, I'm not going to get angry or anything. I just want to know," she said gently, seeing the trouble brewing in Sango's eyes.

"After Kagome and I broke up… I slept with a few of them… Nothing too serious- I just… I just needed someone with me at night a few times," Sango explained, feeling a little ashamed.

"Oh, which one? The short brunette with the hazel eyes and the ear piercings seems your type," Rayne said, staying true to her word and not getting angry.

"Oh, Jamie? No, no way- she's way too clingy. She probably would've gone psycho once she realized that I didn't really like her," Sango said. (3)

"What type of girl is your type, Sango?"

Sango's eyebrows dipped and she looked over at Rayne, slightly confused. Rayne looked at her with deep blue eyes filled with curiosity. Was she simply wondering? Was there more to the question? Why would Rayne ask that question after so many months?

"You're my type of girl, Rayne," Sango said with a smug smile.

Rayne rolled her eyes and laughed a little.

"That's sweet Sango; but I want a serious answer," she smiled at Sango and then looked to her right out of the window.

"Well, she can't be too stupid. She's got to have some common sense," Sango said thoughtfully.

"Define stupid," Rayne replied.

"Well… I'm not too concerned with book smarts. If she's failed math a few times; it's alright. Though, being smart is a huge turn on for me," Sango said lightly.

"Kagome is smart, right?"

Sango was taken aback by this question.

"Yeah," she said for lack of better words. "She's really smart. She has a photographic memory, so she can simply look at her notes once and have it all memorized. She liked to read a lot too."

Rayne didn't reply and the green eyed musician was a bit wary of this. She drove on, the music being this only escape from silence. Soon they were at their destination and Sango parked behind a car in a driveway.

"I didn't go to college; but I guess you knew that," Rayne said after they had exited the car.

"Rayne," Sango said, pulling her close to her. "I don't care."

"But there must be something, Sango. There must be something that I lack that's keeping you from loving me," Rayne said, surprisingly, not in an angry manner.

"It's not that simple Rayne," Sango said, hiding her face in the drummer's neck.

"I don't understand…"

"I don't understand either Rayne. I just know that this isn't the way to go about it."

"Sango; that doesn't make sense. To fix a problem, you have to know what the problem is."

"Do you hear yourself? 'Fix a problem'? You can't just fix _yourself,_ Rayne- things don't work like that."

"Then what am I supposed to do, Sango?" she pushed Sango away and took a deep breath. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Rayne, you don't need to do anything. You just… Look, let's talk about this later, please," Sango said, grabbing Rayne's hand. Rayne bit her lip lightly, a habit she had inherited from being around Sango, and remained silent. She knew when Sango wanted to talk about something later, there was no compromise. It was startling how forceful Sango was, at times, when she wanted things done her way.

"We can relax here for a little while, ok?" Sango lead them up the porch.

"Ok," Rayne replied, lost in thought.

Sango glanced over at her before ringing the doorbell. After standing there for a while without any response, she tried the handle. Realizing it was unlocked, she let herself in. Loud rock music hit their ears as they stepped into the house. Turning to the left they entered the living room and found Kohaku and Souta playing a Guitar Hero game.

"Kohaku, why the fuck is this music so loud?" Sango asked, startling the two boys.

Kohaku shed his guitar with amazing speed and had his arms wrapped around his sister in seconds. They shared a tight hug for a few moments- each displaying how much they missed the other.

"Sango! I wasn't expecting you! How long are you staying?!" Kohaku asked, still hugging his big sister.

"Oh, just a little while; thought I'd come see you and the Higurashis," she said, giving Souta a strange look. The young boy had a brooding look on his face.

"Don't mind him," Kohaku said as he pulled away from the musician. "He's just in a bad mood."

"Should I even ask?" the green eyed girl asked, cocking and eyebrow upward.

Kohaku shook his head and then moved onto greeting Rayne who absently acknowledged him. He gave Rayne a strange look due to her dismissive nature, adorably identical to his sister's.

"So where's Kagome?" Sango asked brushing her bangs from her eyes irately. "I saw her car in the driveway."

"She and her friends are upstairs watching movies."

"Oh? Ok then, I'll go up and surprise them," Sango said with a playful smile. Rayne could only smile at this and shake her head lightly.

The drummer followed Sango upstairs and to a room at the end of a hall. Sango slowly pushed the door open to find the room empty and dark, with illumination emanating from the television. Flipping the light on, she spotted a single form of the floor. It was Rin- who suddenly sprung awake at the light. She glanced around with her eyes widening lightly at the sight of Sango.

"Sango?" she asked, yawning lightly.

Rayne began to silently fawn over the adorable girl. She was just so cute!

"The one and only," she said with a small smile.

"It's good to see you again," Rin replied, standing up. Rayne was simply impressed with Rin- she was so small and cute. She blushed, never having told Sango about her adoration of cute girls.

"You too Rin. This is my girlfriend, Rayne," Sango said, deciding to introduce them.

"Wow, she's every inch intimidating in real life as she is on TV," Rin said stepping forward. She offered her hand, "I'm Rin."

"Nice to meet you," she said, suddenly becoming introspective again.

"So where's Kagome?" Sango asked as she saw Rin's eyes droop tiredly again.

"Oh, Rei and Kagome went downstairs to get some drinks and snacks," Rin replied, causing Rayne to look up at the sound of her nickname.

"Ray?" Sango asked.

"Oh, yeah- Reiki. We call her Rei; she's a freshmen that Kagome's been tutoring. We've become good friends with her. Let's head downstairs," Rin said, leading the other two downstairs. They entered the kitchen and saw three cups sitting on the counter, empty. Kagome and Reiki had not succeeded in getting the drinks.

Rin looked around, confused.

"Well… they said that they'd go get drinks," Rin said, pondering. And as if answering her question, a draft blew in from the back door; which was open. Rin walked back to the porch, Rayne and Sango following.

All three witnessed the gentle kiss Kagome and Reiki shared in the faint moonlight.

* * *

(1)- I've fallen in love with Cobra Starship this year, what can I say. XD If you've never heard of them, you should check them out.

(2)- I've been craving pocky...

(3)-Clingy and psycho are not a good combination in an ex. T.T

**Please review!  
-Enigmatic Ethereality**


	5. Chapter 5: Her Beauty and the Moonlight

**Hello again! Thank you for those of you who reviewed. I wrote this chapter especially for you, if it weren't for your kind words, I would've put this chapter off for longer than needed (Which is true, because I easily distracted myself _all weekend _with The Host by Stephanie Meyer, which is now my all time _favorite _book!). Haha, but I got the chapter done, so here it is! (and i finished The Host. Who has read it? I'd love to chat with you about it! lol) **

**The title of the chapter comes from the song Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. I like the Jeff Buckley version the best.  
anyways Read and Review!!**

**Rated: ****Mature** for mature themes/situations, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha or any other copyrighted materials. Just the plot, Reiki, Rayne, and a board game that needs no skill called Chutes and Ladders.

* * *

_"Your faith was strong, but you needed proof  
You saw her bathing on the roof  
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew you  
She tied you to a kitchen chair  
She broke your throne, and she cut your hair  
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah"  
-Leonard Cohen_

_  
_**Chapter 5: Her Beauty and the Moonlight Overthrew You**

The steam surrounded her in veil of heat as she stepped out of the shower. Grabbing a towel, she dried herself quickly thinking only of how she'd try to handle the situation she knew she'd never be able to evade without consequence. It seemed, as she continued to ponder, that there was no way to escape hurting the younger girl. It hurt her to think of things that way. It hurt her to know that she was only going to hurt Reiki. So in the end, it boiled down to which was the lesser of two evils. It boiled down to how she'd hurt Reiki; not whether or not.

With a tired sigh, after getting dressed, she ran her hands through her damp hair a few times and then stepped out of the bathroom. She didn't know what to expect when she entered her room, but she was certainly not prepared to see Rin and Reiki in a rapid game of cards. It seemed as if they were playing a simple game of War, or something of the sort. They stopped and looked up, however, once Kagome had made her exit. Reiki's eyes briefly met blue before snapping away and gazing at the pile of cards that lay before them. Rin frowned lightly, feeling as if she had only made their situation worse. Would Kagome be in a bad mood?

"Can I play?" Kagome asked hesitantly after tossing her things in her hamper. Rin nodded with a smile, glad to see her friend wanting to join in. So the girls played another game, better suited for three players.

"Let's start watching movies," Rin said after gather all of the cards. They all sat themselves beside the bed after Rin put the video in the DVD player and turned off the lights. Kagome was sitting in the center and was highly aware of Reiki's presence close beside her. She could feel the warmth radiating from her skin.

About twenty minutes into the movie, Rin was nodding off to sleep and Kagome suddenly stood, startling her awake.

"I'm going to head down to get some drinks, maybe some snacks," Kagome stated.

"Should've gotten them before the movie," Rin muttered earning an annoyed roll of the eyes from Kagome and a giggle from Reiki.

"Do you want them or not, Rin?" Kagome asked.

"Yeah, I want them and I'm sure Reiki wants snacks too," Rin replied, quickly.

"Would you like help, Kagome?" Reiki asked timidly. Kagome observed that Reiki had withdrawn back into her shell. She didn't like that, and she hadn't meant for Reiki to feel uncomfortable with her. Especially not after she had been working so hard to get her out of her comfort zone.

"That would be wonderful, Reiki," Kagome replied.

Reiki stood and followed Kagome downstairs. Souta and Kohaku were playing Guitar Hero with the volume as loud as possible and didn't even notice the two college students' descent. Heading into the kitchen, Kagome went about removing the cups from the cupboard. She stood there, with her back to Reiki, trying to decide when to tell the green eyed girl what was on her mind. She turned to attempt to talk to her and found herself alone. A cool draft was sweeping in from the back door. Kagome leaned against the frame and watched the younger girl recline on her arms- her weight against the patio railing. Taking a deep breath to gather her courage, she moved forward lithely and wrapped her arms around Reiki from behind. The younger girl tensed, having not expected this in any way.

Reiki's heart began to pound. The feeling of Kagome's soft skin against hers sent her heart into overdrive- the fresh scent of twilight showers lingered between the two in the cool, damp air of the night. As Kagome's cheek rested against her damp head, Reiki could only push herself further into the older girl, allowing her heart to lead her properly.

"The loveliest faces are to be seen by moonlight," Kagome began.

"When one sees half with the eye, half with the fancy," Reiki finished with a relaxed sigh. (1)

They stood there together, perfectly comfortable with the embrace. It was as if it were second nature. The rhythmic croaking of frogs filled the night.

"Rei," Kagome said softly, trying hard to finally decide on what she really wanted. "I guess you already know that I've really come to like you. And I… I'm confused, really."

Reiki shifted in her arms, and she wondered what the younger girl was thinking, so silently in the darkness.

"What are you thinking?" Kagome asked with her lips ever so light on the younger girl's ear.

"I'm thinking… I'm thinking about how much I've wanted this moment to come. I'm thinking that this is just a dream and that we're not really here, together. That I'm not really in your arms, on your porch, under the stars and moon with you."

A deep numbness settled in Kagome's chest. She felt that she couldn't bring herself to tell Reiki. But she couldn't let them get too involved. She couldn't let them make that mistake. (2)

She'd protect Reiki from herself.

"I still love Sango, Reiki," she said, feeling tension fill the younger girl.

Silence enveloped them and the distant sound of frogs didn't sound so far anymore. Reiki began to tremble. Kagome's heart hurt.

"I'm sorry, Reiki; but it's for the better. It's best that you know now than later- it'd hurt so much more."

"I can't believe it…" Reiki whimpered. Her head was hurting- she felt dizzy; nauseous.

Kagome felt the girl's quaking pick up and she sighed, hugging her tighter. Better now than later, she continued to chant in her head- over and over. The younger girl's hand slowly found her arm. Her palm was sweaty, Kagome noted. Her arm was being pulled from Reiki's body and she didn't fight it. She wouldn't fight the girl's wishes now. She had already upset her enough. Reiki set Kagome's hands against the railing. Kagome was around her, but not touching her as much.

"I'm hurting, Kagome… but I guess I'll be fine. Things will get better, right?"

Kagome nodded at the girl's optimism, but then replied after realizing how stupid the action was because the smaller girl couldn't see her.

"Things always get better, Reiki."

Suddenly, Reiki turned around and leaned back against the railing. Her eyes were closed, but her already shed tears glimmered on her cheeks as the pale white light hit them. Kagome gently wiped them away, hoping to keep her head in the situation. She wanted to stay strong for Reiki despite the fact that she was hurting too.

"Kiss me, please. I just… I just want to feel it- just once. Just a kiss from you," Reiki requested. Kagome was still- she wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to do this. Well, of course she wanted to, but she hadn't kissed anyone since those months ago before Sango had left her. Her lips had reverted back into a virginal state- she was hesitant to touch another pair.

Reiki opened her eyes once realizing that Kagome had refused her request. The pain swirling in her deep green depths struck Kagome hard. Rejection had floated to the surface as tears began to spill swiftly. Kagome felt her eyes burn with the tears that she had learned to fence in- but did she want to hide her pain from Reiki at the moment? Didn't she want to share the pain with her- to seem like less of a monster?

Very carefully Kagome leant forward, angling her head just right. Reiki's lips slacked and Kagome gently pressed her lips against Reiki's. Her skin was warm and tangible- her breath seemingly still. Reiki froze as Kagome tenderly kissed her, not expecting it after waiting so long. She felt so unprepared- and that she was. She felt her own body move against her will as her arms lifted to wrap around Kagome's neck.

The older girl pulled away at this movement- seeing that she was getting in too deep. Her lips tingled and her breathing felt labored. It had been so long- it was simply intoxicating. She knew if she didn't distance herself now, she'd _use_ Reiki as much as the younger girl would allow; and knowing where the younger girl's heart was- Reiki would allow much more than she knew better.

"Reiki, I… we can't," she finally managed to whisper after pulling away. "I'm sorry," she touched the younger girl's blazing cheek. Pink looked proper on Reiki's cheeks.

Green eyes filled with tears once more.

"I know. Thank you, Kagome," she replied with a troubled smile. Her chest was hurting her- she didn't know how much longer she could _stand_. That's when her eyes caught sight of the figures in the doorway. Kagome saw her gaze hitch and with a puzzled look, glanced behind her.

She had been expecting Kohaku, maybe Souta. Possibly Rin had gotten restless waiting for them; but to find Rin standing there with two visitors… It had thrown her heart into overdrive.

* * *

Sango didn't know what to think. She didn't know what to do or to say. She could only stand there and watch as Kagome pulled out of the kiss and whispered to her lover. She was very aware of Rayne's deep blue eyes trained onto her face but she didn't care. She allowed her disbelief to shine brightly. She allowed her anguish and pain to live in her eyes. She allowed her final defeat to show as her shoulders slumped slightly.

The smaller girl- the one who had just tasted Kagome's soft pink lips; she looked back with surprisingly deep green eyes. They widened and settled on eyes nearly identical to her own. Eyes much narrower and less innocent and trusting. Eyes of someone who had seen so much more pain. Eyes of someone who was much older and mature.

The eyes of the one who held Kagome's heart.

As if on cue, Kagome turned to see Sango staring at them. Her expression had been wiped clean and all that was left on her tanned face was a look of impatience which she had perfected. Kagome, on the other hand, looked more surprised than ever. How was she to know Sango would be coming? She hadn't and her heart was thumping so hard in her chest she felt that she would recoil at every pulsating pound.

The silence was awkward as the frogs grew louder and louder with every passing moment. Reiki unwrapped her arms and pushed Kagome away. She seemed irritated that the older girl wouldn't budge an inch. She turned away from the group and leant against the railing, suddenly retreating into herself. Her mind was running a mile a minute. She strained her ear, however, to hear what Kagome would say when she finally came to her senses.

"Holy hell," Rin was the one to break the silence with the greatest oxymoron of all times. (3)

Kagome flinched at her voice and looked up, still silent- not knowing what to say.

"I," that was all she said. She took a deep breath, shutting her eyes for a moment. "Oh, gees… I wasn't expecting this."

"Surprise?" Sango shrugged, cocking an eyebrow. Kagome's eyes jumped around Sango's face- her mind was looking for differences on its own and then suddenly, it was working to etch Sango's face into her memory once more. Rayne was getting a little pissed. She jealously reached for Sango's hand and laced their fingers together.

* * *

"Let's get back inside," Kagome suggested, noticing how cold it was.

Reiki stayed planted where she was as the group made their way back inside. Kagome noticed this and excused herself for a moment, knowing Rayne would be watching her every move as she had been since she'd laid eyes on her.

"Rei?"

"What, Kagome? What do you want? I hope you don't expect me to go in there with you guys as you fake merriment and hurt yourself watching them be together," Reiki said, surprising Kagome.

"Reiki, I'm sorry. You know I am," Kagome tried, standing beside her. "You know I don't want to hurt you."

"It doesn't matter that you don't want to Kagome; because the fact is that you did hurt me."

Kagome flinched at this sentence. She had not once, in her time of knowing this girl, seen her angry. She felt the quiet, brooding Reiki was her angry side and it wasn't very pleasant.

"Look, I know what you want. I'll pretend to be your girlfriend until she leaves. That's what you want, right?"

"Reiki, it's not like that."

"Kagome, please, save it," her voice cracked

"It's not that I want to make her jealous- far from it; because I know that's what you're thinking. I just don't want them to think you and I are whores or something. If they ask if we're dating and we say "no", won't that look bad?" Kagome began, feeling completely out of character. Plotting was not what she did- and she always tried her hardest to be honest.

"You're right," Reiki sighed, wiping tears from her cheeks.

"Reiki, I'm really sorry. I really wasn't expecting them- you know I was hoping this weekend would be just you and I; Rin would've stayed out of the way. I'm really sorry," she gently touched Reiki's back.

The younger girl didn't flinch because she was expecting this. She turned and looked at Kagome, her green eyes seeking what she knew she'd never find. Love would never show in these ice blue eyes- not for her at least. It pained her to know it; it pained her to realize. It pained her to know she had seen it all too late. It pained her to know she had fallen in love with someone who couldn't love her back.

She didn't realize she was crying until she felt the warmth of Kagome's fingertips on her cheeks. A blush blasted its way across her face unsparingly. Kagome leant down and kissed her gently, on the corner of her mouth. Reiki wanted so much more- she wanted to get the chance to kiss Kagome back, but she didn't want to force the girl to do something she didn't want to do.

"Please come inside. Sango really is fun to talk to, and I _do_ want to meet Rayne," Kagome coaxed, gently slipping her hand into the smaller one.

Kagome noted her palm was sticky with sweat and tears and her grasp was weak. She gently squeezed the hand that she held and led them into the house. The blue eyed student quickly steered Reiki into the bathroom and helped her wash her face off. Even now, Kagome still had a hard time getting over how pretty Reiki was; how adorable. What was better was that her beauty was completely natural, which was obvious because she didn't wear makeup.

She saw tears swimming in suddenly wet green eyes and her heart ached.

"Please stay strong, Reiki. Just for a little while. They'll leave soon," Kagome mumbled as she dabbed one last time at closed green eyes.

Kagome led them out to the living room, where the five sat, listening to Kohaku tell Sango about how he had been fairing. They took a seat beside Souta, noticing the glares he had been shooting Kagome.

Sango was trying her hardest to focus on Kohaku. She was trying her hardest not to look at Kagome; trying her hardest not to allow the confusion and worry in the frosty blue depths scrap itself into her memory. She knew she couldn't avoid glancing at Kagome the multiple times she had. It had been so long since she had seen her soft, beautiful face and her lovely blue eyes. It had been so long since she had seen her silky black hair- it was even more alluring damp. Her eyes, at one moment, shamelessly glided over Kagome's features until she felt Rayne's grip on her hand tighten uncomfortably. The green eyed musician looked up to see jealousy, hurt and slight anger slip about in dark blue eyes.

"So, Kagome," Sango said, startling Kagome into attention after Kohaku had finished speaking. "Aren't you going to introduce me?" her smile was friendly.

Kagome blushed and glanced at Reiki who was obviously focusing very hard on not crying.

"Oh, yeah," Kagome blubbered. "This is Reiki," she said. "My… girlfriend," she finished awkwardly.

"I'm Sango," Sango said, not realizing that it was pointless to introduce herself. "And this is Rayne."

Reiki just nodded silently, worried that if she even opened her mouth to speak, she'd start to sob.

"So you met Kagome at school?"

Reiki nodded her response again, averting her eyes from the gorgeous rock star. She never had a chance against Sango- she felt as if she should've known this.

"Don't like to talk much, huh?"

Reiki blushed and shut her eyes with a sigh.

"I'm just really tired. I'm sorry for being so rude," she replied calmly, surprising the group. Reiki's voice was always a surprise to people when she spoke. It held the innocent tone that you'd naturally expect, but it sounded so much more mature than it should. So much deeper than others would expect. It was downright sexy in Kagome's mind.

Rayne's obvious adoration didn't go unnoticed as she received a strange look from Reiki.

"Do you… want to go sleep?" Kagome asked, her thumb absently rubbing the back of Reiki's hand. The action didn't go unnoticed by anyone in the room.

"And miss the chance to talk to rock stars? No way- I can buck up for a little while," she said with comfortable smile. Sango watched, as a strange emotion filled her, as Kagome and Reiki caught each other's gaze for a long moment.

"I, um… I feel bad. Why didn't you tell me about Reiki earlier- I would've invited her to come on the tour too," Sango said with a questioning glance.

"Well… Reiki and I haven't been together long at all. We weren't dating when you presented the idea," Kagome said, still feeling odd about living a lie so large.

"Oh, but now you are, right? Reiki, would you like a ticket too?" Sango asked, feeling a bit hasty with the conversation. All she wanted was Kagome to say that she'd come to at least one show. That was all she wanted… Well, that's what she kept telling herself at least.

Reiki was surprised by this offer- it could be a chance to be with Kagome more. Or, it could be a chance to hurt more and as that realization rolled into her she decided no. No way would she go with Kagome to watch her swoon over the hot musician.

Sango watched the youngest girl carefully. She was strangely quiet- she'd never met anyone so calm in the presence of celebrities. She'd never seen anyone debate on going on tour with a band before. Her large green eyes were suddenly distant as she pondered the question asked to her.

"Sorry, but no," Reiki replied, surprising Sango and disappointing Rayne just a bit. "I'm still taking classes and I'd hate to get behind."

Kagome chuckled at this and smiled, admiring how much like herself Reiki was.

Sango watched as the endearing smile slipped onto Kagome's lips. She saw how much Kagome admired Reiki's work ethic- and how the first thing the younger girl thought of was her studies. No wonder they were dating- they were the perfect couple.

"You two… are cute together," Rayne said, finally speaking up.

Kagome's frosty blue eyes snapped upwards, surprised to hear Rayne speak. Rayne's expression was guarded and her deep blue eyes were revealing nothing to her. Kagome offered a conciliatory smile as she softly uttered a thank you. Sango could tell how uncomfortable Rayne was making her feel. She felt sorry for her that Rayne was examining her so closely. She knew how intense her girlfriend could look at times and it was truly frightening.

"So, are you a genius too?" Rayne asked Reiki who was now leaning tiredly against Kagome.

"A genius? No, not at all," Reiki said with gently sigh.

"Rei, what do you mean?! You're one of the most intelligent people I've ever met," Kagome lauded, causing the younger girl to blush.

"And yet, you still had to tutor me," Reiki laughed at Kagome's praise.

"That was only because you…" Kagome didn't finish her sentence, remembering that they had company. She mumbled a sorry to Reiki who immediately understood. Yes, she hadn't really needed help with her work- just chemistry. All she wanted to do was spend time with Kagome.

"So, Rin, how's Sesshoumaru treating you?" Sango asked, breaking the awkward silence once again.

"Oh, Sesshy's alright," Rin replied cheerily. "My dad's coming to visit and meet him- Sesshy's been so nervous since I told him- even though it's weeks away."

"Oh, that'll definitely be interesting," Sango replied with a lighthearted chuckle.

"I'm going to tape it," Rin said, causing Souta and Kohaku to laugh.

"Oh, so cruel," Souta mumbled.

Rin opened her mouth to protest but was beat to it, "It's true, you know." Kohaku smirked at the surprised look he had received from Rin. The small girl began to pout and Rayne couldn't tear her eyes away.

Reiki giggled at Rin's antics, like usual, and quietly became Rayne's primary entertainment. Rayne could barely contain herself, surround by adorable girls like Reiki and Rin. She felt as if she were going to explode.

Sango observed that Reiki was indeed a beautiful young girl, not to mention a total cutie. Her skin was perfect, despite how pale it was, and her dark eye lashes seemed to bring a certain glow to her eyes that she hadn't seen on any other person before. She had a pleasant face and her lips were ridiculously pink. Her cheeks seemed to have a constant blush and she wondered if, perhaps, if she was wearing makeup. To sum it all up, her laugh was absolutely adorable and heartwarming.

"Hey, Kagome, can I talk to you for a moment?" Sango asked, catching everyone off guard.

Reiki quickly pulled her hand away from Kagome's, and nudged her a little- trying to show her support despite the fact that she was slowly killing her heart in the process.

"Sure," Kagome stood hesitantly, following Sango.

* * *

Once more that night, Sango was allowed to admire Kagome standing beneath faint moonlight. She remembered back to one of her favorite summer nights. It was just the two of them, beneath the stars and the brightly glowing moon. It was the summer she left for her new school. They had made love that night, with only the night sky as a witness and a symphony of crickets.

Realizing that she was reminiscing, she blinked a few times and focused on Kagome standing there with a curious look on her features. Sango could only see the hope rolling around in those ice blue eyes.

"I… I was hoping that I might get an answer tonight from you …"

Kagome looked thoughtful for a moment before her eyes caught Sango's. The green eyed musician couldn't read the strange emotion that had settled in Kagome's eyes. She'd never seen it there before- and if she had it had been so long...

"You know, Sango… The reason why I haven't been able to answer you is…"

Kagome stopped abruptly, suddenly looking introspective. She shook her head and gave an awkward chuckle. She couldn't say that she was still in love with Sango- with her "dating" Reiki; it'd make her only look even more deceitful. What kind of guileful person was tell another that they were madly in love with them just after telling them they were in a relationship with another. That would only make Sango's perception of her that little bit more horrible than it already was.

"Ah, let me rephrase that," she started again. "I… I'd love to go watch you play and sing- really, I would… it's just… I can't leave. I can't leave Reiki behind. Not now, anyways."

"Oh," Sango said, feeling rejection bite her harshly.

"But even before," Sango tried. "When you weren't dating her… why did you not reply? Why didn't you just answer? It was a _simple_ yes or no."

Sango wasn't making this easy for Kagome- the younger girl didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to go about finding the perfect lie. Anything she thought up was so lame that it'd fall to pieces the moment she opened her mouth to utter the meaningless words. Kagome realized that she either told the truth or chanced it with a horrible lie. With nothing else to do, Kagome forced herself to speak the words she had known she would have to say to Sango's face.

"Sango… I was… I was still in love with you," Kagome confessed.

Sango's head began to swim. Her mind blanked and her skin suddenly became damp with perspiration. Kagome had still loved her- despite how harsh the breakup had been and despite how she had rubbed her success and new found relationship in her face. Her heart ached slightly, and she looked up allowing Kagome to see that. The blue eyed girl looked away quickly, not being able to handle that look. Guilt rolled tumultuously through the musician.

"I don't know what to say, Kagome," Sango said gently, her voice sending shivers through Kagome.

"I know I should've told you earlier. I'm sorry," the blue eyed scholar replied, having felt that she'd done enough damage that night.

"Do you… still love me?" the musician asked, and she cringed at how hopeful that sounded to her own ears.

"Sango- you can't really expect me to answer that," Kagome muttered, running her hand through her hair.

"Is that a yes?" Sango bit her lower lip, nervous for the answer.

"No Sango! _No_… It's just a question I'm going to skip and come back to later," Kagome exclaimed, but calmed down considerably once seeing the older woman flinch. Sango gazed intensely into Kagome's eyes, hoping to be able to read them… but she noticed a _difference_. A difference in beautiful light blue depths that had probably been building for quite some time in her absence. She realized Kagome's guarded expression and that she could no longer read her eyes as easily before. She realized that Kagome had put up impervious walls to guard her emotions.

It hurt her to know that Kagome had hurt enough to have done that. It was obviously her fault.

"Sango?"

This beckon startled the older woman.

"Oh… yeah- sorry… Ah, I guess that was all," Sango finished, ripping her eyes away from Kagome.

"Ok; thanks for visiting, by the way. Kohaku was ecstatic," she relayed gently.

"It was my pleasure. I was hoping to see your mom, but I suppose she's asleep."

"Yeah, I'm surprised that she slept through the boys' thoughtless noise, but she can sleep through just about anything," Kagome said nodding with sureness. Kagome began to lead the two back in, but Sango caught her hand.

Heat suddenly burst between the two at contact and as quickly as Sango had grabbed her hand, she dropped it. Bewildered, she looked up at Kagome to find the faintest bit of curiosity swimming in her eyes. Sango sighed, thinking that perhaps she was just hallucinating. She was probably the only one of the two who had felt the exploding heat. Kagome cocked an eyebrow upward, waiting for Sango to speak. The older woman's throat swelled nervously. She damned herself for being so nervous and pulled her lower lip between her teeth, trying to concentrate. Losing her bravery, she sighed tiredly.

"You and Reiki… are really cute together," Sango managed.

Kagome blushed and looked away, "Thank you."

Frowning, Sango was first to make the move back into the house. Memories of their heat filled night beneath the firmament filled her head relentlessly. At that moment- she knew what she really wanted.

* * *

**1- I really love this quote. Thought I should share it with you.  
****2- Know this from actual experience. :(  
****3- You agree with the oxymoron, right? XD**

**Read and review please!  
Enigmatic Ethereality**


	6. Chapter 6: Hide and Seek

**Um, ok. New chapter. Song is called Hide and Seek by Imogen Heap. I'm going to camp for the weekend :( so I won't have time to work on the next chapter. But i'll try hard next week to work on it! So enjoy this chapter here!**

**Rated: ****Mature** for mature themes/situations, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha or any other copyrighted materials. Just the plot, Reiki, Rayne, and a 2008 Toyota RAV4 (woohoo for my new car!)!!

* * *

"_Hide and Seek  
Trains and sewing machines  
all those years  
they were here first_

_Oily marks appear on walls  
where pleasure moments hung before the takeover,  
the sweeping insensitivity of this still life"  
-Imogen Heap_

**Chapter 6: Hide and Seek**

Sango lay close to Rayne at night. Their bodies weren't touching, but the heat radiating from both women could be felt between the two. Sango felt a bit empty with this arrangement for she was used to cuddling with Rayne at night. She was often the one being held by the blue eyed drummer, but tonight in the hotel room, Rayne had simply turned her back to her and fallen asleep.

The musician felt empty when she realized it had happened.

Sango fought mentally, wondering what she should do. She knew Rayne was quite moody at times, and worried insistently about how Rayne would react. She figured, since Rayne had seemed to be in a good mood before they had reached Kagome's house, she'd chance slipping her arms around her. Very carefully, Sango did just that.

Rayne got out of bed.

With a frown, Sango watched as the younger girl stormed out of the darkened room.

She was left all alone and couldn't possibly sleep. The instant the door shut, worry had filled her. What could she have possibly done now to irritate Rayne?

"You were pretty much ogling Kagome all night," she muttered to herself.

But that couldn't possibly be it! She held her hand the whole time and stayed close. What could it be? Why could Rayne be so… miserable with her? What was she doing wrong? Well, she knew what she was doing wrong. She wasn't _loving_ Rayne; that was obvious. But she was trying and wasn't that good enough?

Rayne suddenly barged back into the room.

"I'm too fucking tired for this shit," she seemed to reason with herself and got back into bed.

Sango was surprised by this and stayed silent as her girlfriend situated herself again with her back to her. The room was silent if you overlooked Rayne's heavy breathing. Sango wanted so bad to just wrap her arms around Rayne, but she knew how she'd react this time. Rayne wasn't above sleeping on the questionable floor of the hotel.

"Now you know how it feels," Rayne said in a low voice. As if Rayne knew Sango would cock an eyebrow, which she did, she continued, "To be so close to something, but not be able to have it."

Sango felt injured by these cold words and especially so because she knew Rayne was right.

When they woke up- more like when Rayne woke up in the morning- they didn't speak to each other. They didn't speak to each other in the car either. They didn't speak to each other until they got to their apartment hours and hours away. And even then it was only Sango managing a tired, "I'm… going out."

Rayne sat in the living room with a large book in hand, reading. She loved to read in her spare time, surprisingly. It was a secret that only one person knew and that person was Sango; the green eyed musician had to know once the younger girl had moved in with her. But at the moment, she was reading, trying to not think about Sango. She felt bad for hurting her the way she did, but she wouldn't relent until Sango saw things her way. She wasn't going to get walked all over again. She refused to let it happen. With a sigh, she dog eared another one of the pages and set the book down on the coffee table just in time to take a phone call.

Rayne lifted the ringing phone and answered it, "Hey." She knew who it was; Kikyo, like it always was when she had an argument with Sango.

"Why is Sango at my apartment, sleeping on my bed with my dogs?"

Rayne stifled a laugh at the thought of Sango cozy on the bed with Kikyo's Alaskan malamute puppies. Sango always had a problem sleeping by herself. She had always wanted to question that, but never bothered.

"I don't know. Sango's always loved to have a bitch on the side," Rayne replied snidely.

"First of all, my puppies are male. Second of all, Sango's not a hypocrite- she'd _never_ cheat on anyone. _Ever_," Kikyo defended in a matter of fact way.

"Fuck if I know why she's at your place," Rayne said, causing the bassist to sigh. She was really getting sick of the two of them and their petty games.

"Rayne, grow up. Whatever Sango did to you, she didn't mean it; ok?"

"Don't say a thing when you don't know what's going on, Kikyo," she spat the bassist's name with something akin to irritation. "You always side with her."

"I side with her because I've known her longer and know she's the level headed one in the relationship you share. I also know that you're hard headed, moody, and illogical. Therefore, you will not have my support in arguments," Kikyo droned on in her monotonous voice.

"She still loves Kagome, Kikyo," Rayne pressed out, despite the pain it cause her to say it.

Kikyo was silent for a moment before she spoke, "Did… did she tell you this?"

"No, she didn't say it right out, but… Kikyo, I'm not blind. I could hear it in her voice when she spoke to her and see I could see it in her eyes. Sango has _never_ looked at me like that. I'm hurt. And what hurts most is that she thinks, after that display, that I'd just welcome her in bed with open arms. Just expect things to be the way they were before. Her only partially there because the rest of her was off with Kagome?"

Kikyo was silent once more before speaking, "You guys went to see Kagome?"

"Yeah."

"Did she… Ah how… How _insensitive_."

"I think… that maybe- I should just back off, Kikyo. She obviously doesn't love me as much as I love her…. I only want her to be happy. I mean, I _definitely_ want to be with her, but not the way we've been. It's pointless. I wish I had seen how blind I was."

Kikyo was silent as she glanced back at Sango's resting form.

"You're going to give up so easily? You're just going to lie down and take that, Rayne? That doesn't seem like you at all-"

"You'd back off if you'd seen what I saw. I could _feel_ how much she wanted Kagome. It was painful for me to even hold her hand." This was the primary reason why she didn't want Sango touching her last night. It was simply uncomfortable.

"Of course I don't want to give up, Kikyo. I love Sango so much… But…."

"I think you really need to think about that, Rayne. You do know why Sango left Kagome, right? Sango's not a very trusting person anymore. There have been a lot of hardships in her life- primarily from people she held close. She won't go running back to Kagome, just because she is wary of putting herself out the way she had before. She's hesitant because she doesn't want to get hurt again. That's you last hope, Rayne, if you truly want to stay with Sango."

Rayne was quiet before she sighed goodbye and hung up.

Quietly, despite the fact that nobody was home with her, she slunk into their room and into the closet; shutting the door behind her. Suddenly, she felt very stupid sitting in there; but she didn't regret stepping into the dark confines of the closet. It reminded her of her childhood, playing hide and seek with her friends.

Or perhaps hiding from her adoptive mom's rage.

Whatever the case- being in the enclosed darkness comforted her and she fell asleep readily.

When she awoke, she couldn't see the crack of light slipping through the bottom of the door. She felt a bit disoriented, like she usually did- but then remember where she was. Rayne sat there for a moment. 

She didn't know how she felt anymore- she didn't know if she was groggy, hungry, lonely… Confusion settled in her bones. She reached for the door and cracked it open. It was nighttime.

Suddenly, light invaded her senses and she backed away. She heard Sango walk into the room and pace about.

"Fuck," the older girl muttered as she settled on the edge of the bed. She heard Sango dialing a number.

"Hello?" Sango breathed warily into the receiver. Rayne shut her eyes, hoping Sango would just go away.

* * *

"_Sango_?" Kikyo asked.

"Yeah, it's me. I…. ah- have you seen Rayne at all today?" Sango asked, with her voice quaking in worry.

"_What? No, I mean- I spoke with her earlier on the phone. She was at your apartment_."

"Well, she's not here now and… I'm worried."

"_Sango, relax. Doesn't Rayne always come back_?"

"Yeah, but I mean I'm still worried about her. She is _so_ angry with me… I don't want her out there that angry- it isn't any good for her," Sango's fretting was seriously out of character. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn't slept very well in the past day or so.

"_Sango, you don't seem like yourself. You need to get some sleep_," Kikyo advised, knowing that tomorrow's practice would be another waste of time if Sango didn't sleep well.

"No Kikyo- you know I won't be able to sleep anyways. I'm going to go look for her… Maybe… Maybe if she sees how worried I am; she'll come home with me," Sango said standing and looking for her shoes.

Sango advanced on the closet as Kikyo said, "_Sango, you'll never find her in a city this size_."

"I have to try," Sango said desperately. "It anything was to happen to her because of me I'd…"

Her sentence trailed off as she found Rayne curled up in the closet.

"_Sango_?"

"I'll call you back later," she whispered distractedly.

Sango turned off the phone and got onto her knees beside Rayne. Was she asleep? In the closet?

"Ray," Sango whispered. The blonde drummer looked up, her eyes deep with curiosity. "I was worried about you," Sango continued, keeping her distance.

Rayne sighed feeling bad. Was this how Sango acted every time she looked for escape? Did Sango worry herself to tears? Sitting up, she looked at Sango still not being able to find it in herself to even be near her.

"Leave me alone," Rayne whispered averting her eyes.

Sango frowned, wanting to reach out and touch Rayne. She wanted to run her hands through Rayne's lovely blonde hair and touch her warm cheek. She wanted to kiss her gently and hold her close.

Leaning forward, Sango attempted to pull Rayne into her arms. All she got was a slap across the face.

* * *

Kagome and Reiki sat in her room, leaning against the bed which Rin was asleep on. Silence was what united them, both immersed in deep thought.

"Sango is…" Reiki started, commanding Kagome's attention. "Sango is very sweet."

Kagome listened silently, wondering where she was getting.

"She's very beautiful as well. Gorgeous actually," the younger girl still gazed at her bare feet. Her legs were stretched out in front of her. They were so much shorter than Kagome's. "You should've told me… that I never had a chance."

The blue eyed girl looked up at Reiki who looked simply tired.

"Rei… aren't you tired?"

"Kagome- we need to have this talk right now; me being tired or not," Reiki reasoned.

"You're right. Sorry," Kagome apologized, feeling quite stupid. Reiki was so much more mature than you'd expect.

"Tell me how you feel about me Kagome," Reiki requested, her eyes trained onto her tiny toes.

"I, well," Kagome blushed. "I really like you; you know that. You're cute, and fun. You make me smile; I admire nearly everything you do. You're also very caring and put others before yourself."

"And… What about," Reiki cleared her throat, not liking how weak her voice was sounding. "What about Sango?"

"Reiki, maybe we should-"

"No; right now Kagome. I can't waste any more time on trying to get you to love me back. I just need to know now."

"Well, Sango's really my first love. She's been there for me through tough times. I've loved her for so long. She is beautiful and simply amazing," Kagome said, getting a faraway look in her eyes.

Realizing Reiki hadn't responded she looked up to see the younger girl crying again.

"I'm so jealous of her, Kagome. I'm so jealous. I hate this feeling," she cried, wiping at her eyes. "I'm sorry."

"No no no, Rei. Don't be sorry- you have a right to feel whatever feelings you feel," Kagome said softly, wondering if it was alright to pull Reiki into her arms. Reiki answered her question by pulling Kagome close to her and burying her face in her shoulder. Kagome quickly wrapped her arms around the younger girl, hoping to offer her support.

"I'm here for you Reiki- unless you'd rather I just back off. But I want to be here for you. You know I care a lot about you."

"Yes, Kagome. I know, thank you. I realize this was for the best. Better that I know now than later; it would've been worse if we had been involved."

Admiring the younger girl's intelligence once more, Kagome kissed her gently on her head. After a few moments, Reiki pulled away and offered a genuine smile.

"I'm pretty tired now, Kagome, so I'm going to sleep."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Kagome stood and turned off the lights.

Reiki settled into her sleeping bag and Kagome slipped into Rin's. She'd allow Rin the pleasure of her bed that night so she could lie beside Reiki. The younger girl looked at Kagome for a second then smiled again, nodding gently. She shut her eyes and fell asleep easily. Kagome followed suite a few minutes later.

Kagome woke up to find Rin still sprawled out on her bed and Reiki sleeping comfortably. Sighing softly she stood and made her way into the bathroom. After finishing in there she went downstairs to prepare breakfast. Her mother joined her silently at the stove after a few minutes.

"Kagome," she said, after a long moment.

Kagome looked up to see her mother's worried face. She felt the nausea of what she knew was coming next.

"I… well, you know I'm alright with you being gay," her mother began, looking as if she wanted to assure her that.

"I'm Bi, mom," Kagome said, suddenly feeling annoyed.

"Yes… Bi," her mother corrected. Mrs. Higurashi cleared her throat awkwardly. "Uh… well, I think that you and Reiki would make a nice couple."

Kagome heaved a sigh, realizing that her mom must've peaked in at night and saw them together. Maybe she had witnessed their kiss- her room overlooked the porch. The thought made her skin crawl slightly, however.

"Mom, I'm not… Wait a second… did you just say…?"

"Yes… I mean, she's a really intelligent young woman. She's got a good head on her shoulders."

Kagome was amazed. Her mother was actually, directly approving her. Reiki must've made a lasting impression on the woman. They did talk and get along well when they did see each other. Especially that time Kagome took Reiki and Rin to the mall. Why couldn't she have been that supportive when she was with Sango?

Hey, that was a good question. Perhaps she'd finally accepted the idea, now. Or maybe she just didn't like Sango. She remembered her mother's glares back in high school when Sango would come over.

"Why the sudden change? Are you finally accepting me, or did you just not like Sango?"

"Sango was bad for you! Nothing good came from you being with Sango! She changed you, got you in a wreck, and then left you."

"Changed me?"

"Kagome, didn't you notice?! Back when you both were in high school. You started sneaking out at night, and getting in trouble at school. And then this gay thing. Sango ruined you," Mrs. Higurashi looked anguished.

The blue eyed girl just stood there astonished. She never knew her mother had known she was sneaking out. The getting in trouble, yeah; that was understandable. Things changed at school for her once she started dating Sango. They were out about it- it was the biggest news to hit the hallways. She was surprised her mother hadn't known fully about her involvement with Sango.

Anger slipped into her veins, however, after hearing her mother say, "Gay thing." People don't just turn gay. Other people don't make people gay. Kagome believed that being gay meant that she was born that way and she chose to embrace it unlike other people. Sango didn't ruin her. Sango helped her find herself. Sango loved her.

Kagome had really messed up the one good thing in her life. Irritated by that also, she snapped at her mother.

"Sango didn't ruin me! She brought out what I was. She helped me grow! Something you never could do! After daddy died, all you ever did was worry about yourself! You never realized how timid I had become- how antisocial. Sango saved me, mom. You'll never understand that, will you?"

It was silent once more. The two Higurashi women started into action after smelling the burning scent that was coming from the stove. They silently finished preparing breakfast together.

"Kagome, I'm sorry… You're right. I'm really sorry."

"It's ok," Kagome sighed, realizing that her mother had finally seen the truth. "I'm just angry. I shouldn't have said that to you."

Mrs. Higurashi opened her mouth to speak, but decided against it after getting a warning look from Kagome. Her brown eyes softened as she looked down at the countertop.

"I'll try my best to be more supportive of you," she said softly.

"I know, mom. Thank you… but just to let you know…. Reiki and I are just friends."

"But… Kagome…"

"Whatever you saw… it was just… it didn't mean anything to me. I really do care about her, mom, but I still love Sango with all my heart. I believe she's the only one for me."

"But what about Reiki?" Mrs. Higurashi was hesitant to discuss this. She felt a bit embarrassed.

"She'll be alright, I think. She's a strong person. She'll be alright."

As they set the table, Reiki made her way downstairs. She spared a wry smile at them women and took a seat at the table.

"You should've gotten me up, Kagome. I would've helped," she said, awing Mrs. Higurashi once more. Reiki just had something about her that drew people to her.

"You seemed really tired. Plus you're really cute when you sleep," Kagome said with a smile.

Reiki blushed and glanced hesitantly at the flustered mother.

"I'm… I'm going to wake the boys and Rin up," she made her escape.

"Kagome, does your mom mind? Does she mind that?" Reiki asked, standing so she could go get some juice.

"No, she's fine," Kagome beamed.

Reiki only stared at Kagome, making the older girl a bit uneasy. Kagome parted her lips to say something but Reiki beat it to her.

"I love your smile."

Blushing, Kagome couldn't help but smile. Leaning forward, she kissed Reiki on the cheek.

Reiki smiled back, glad that Kagome somehow found a way to make the situation less awkward.

"I love your smile too, Rei."

Reiki, in reply, Reiki kissed Kagome on the cheek.

It all happened so fast. Their lips were soon smashed against one another's in a kiss that displayed an intense tangible need. The sensual dance of their tongues sent shivers down Reiki's spine which, in turn, made her hold on Kagome tighten. The older girl could only indulge in the feeling of the younger girl's wonderfully soft lips teasing her own. Her mind was lost in the kiss and she delved her fingers deep into Reiki's thick black hair.

They pulled apart slightly, breathing heavily. Kagome stared into deep green eyes wondering when they'd finally decide to _really_ talk about what was happening to them. Reiki stared back into eyes as blue as a cloudless summer sky never wanting to unwrap her arms. Throwing hazard to the wind, Kagome closed her eyes and gently pressed her lips against Reiki's once more.

* * *

Rayne sat up in bed, finding that she was getting no sleep. It had been nearly three days since she had spoken directly to Sango. Three days since the incident in the closet. Three days since she had smacked her and three days since she had actually seen her anywhere but practice. She knew Sango was sleeping on the couch because she'd find her blankets folded neatly when she woke up.

The younger girl was becoming worried, however. She knew she had been a total bitch she slapped Sango, and she knew she should've apologized right away. Even now, Sango refused to talk to her. The first day, they had both been mad at each other. The second day, however, Rayne had realized how harsh she had been and really wanted to apologize to her girlfriend. Sango refused to make herself available for that, however. As soon as practice was over, she was the first one to leave. No one knew where she went either.

Sighing, Rayne got out of bed and headed out into the hallway. Stepping into the sitting room, she was just in time to see the back door shut. Was that Sango? What would she be doing out there? Rayne hesitantly walked over and opened the back door. What Rayne _saw_ surprised her.

Sango was smoking.

It had been the longest time since she had last seen Sango smoke. She had heard the story of how she quit smoking for Kagome over and over. Sango had picked up smoking again after Kagome went into her last coma, but then she stopped again after entering a relationship with Rayne and becoming immersed in her career. For Sango to be smoking now… Rayne felt really bad.

"Sango."

The older girl looked startled, whipping around quickly. The cigarette hung loose between her lips. She gave a wry chuckle and then sighed.

"I tried not to, you know," Sango said before taking a deep drag. Rayne didn't feel bad anymore, she felt horrible.

"Sango, babe… You know I'm sorry."

"But you were right. I'm definitely still in love with Kagome, and it's pointless for me to be with you." Smoke escaped her lungs, the tendrils curling upwards like grasping fingers.

Rayne felt hot tears burn her eyes.

"Sango," she struggled to say, her throat closing up on her.

"I think we should break up. I'm only hurting you," Sango said again taking a deep drag of her cigarette.

"I… You're right," tears slipped down her cheeks. "I could never live up to Kagome for you."

"Look, we don't have to stop living together, if that's what you want. I really do care a lot about you Rayne. I want to make sure that you're safe," Sango breathed tiredly.

Wiping at her tears, Rayne sighed. "So that's it, huh?"

Sango nodded, seeing Rayne fight to keep her emotions under check. Stubbing her cigarette out, she quickly gathered Rayne in her arms. The younger girl buried her face in her shoulder. Silence floated serenely between them.

"Sango?" Rayne asked lightly, her voice stuffy and tight.

"Yeah, Ray. What is it?"

"You really stink. I don't know how you put up with smoking."

Sango laughed, appreciating Rayne's humor.

"Would you kiss me?" Sango smirked.

"Hell no," Rayne said pushing Sango away.

"If I brushed my teeth?"

"And took a shower," Rayne suggested playfully.

"Hmm, would you join me there?" the green eyed musician winked.

Rayne smiled, her eyes still watering. She quickly stole a kiss from Sango and slipped back into their small home. They'd make strange roommates- but they didn't mind that.

* * *

**Thank you for reading!  
Read and review; I'll have the next update up as soon a I can!  
-Enigmatic Ethereality**


	7. Chapter 7: Just A Bit of Fun

**Yup, here's chapter Seven. I just wanted to thank all of my reviewers! You guys are the best! I love ya (in a non-creepy kind of way. XD). So here's an action packed chapter! haha, the next chapter or two will be a filler kind of thing- but don't worry. It'll hopefully be something you'll like. The song used for this chapter (haha, another one! XD) is "The Church Of Hot Addiction" by Cobra Starship.**

**Rated: ****Mature** for mature themes/situations, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha or any other copyrighted materials. Just the plot, Reiki, Rayne, and an obnoxious little brother.

* * *

"_Because now,  
The time has come for your devotion  
And you already got a notion  
Of what I need  
So give it, just give it,  
Just give it to me_

You're willing,  
I'm waiting.  
Turn out the lights"  
-_Cobra Starship_

**_Chapter 7: Just A Bit of Fun_**

Green eyes shifted around cautiously as Sango stepped up to the counter. She was wearing a hat and sunglasses- a horrible disguise in her opinion but it humored her to see that people could be so stupid as to overlook her. Glancing backwards, she smirked at Rayne who was also in disguise.

"Excuse me ma'am, how may I help you?" a young red haired girl with a spread of freckles said trying to get Sango's attention.

"Um, yes," Sango said clearing her throat in hopes of keeping her voice from being recognized. "There's hair in my soda."

"Hair?" the girl asked awkwardly.

"Yes," Sango stressed her 'irritation'. She slammed her Styrofoam cup down on the counter and removed the plastic cover. Reaching in Sango pulled out a large clump of dark hair. Dropping it onto the table with a loud slopping splatter she continued.

"_This_," she continued, gesturing at the huge clump of hair, "is ridiculous."

The young girl working the register was amazed. Her face showed that she didn't know what to do.

"I…" and she was at a loss of words. It was obvious she was trying to form words but wasn't succeeding. Other people in the mall's food court had stopped to watch what was going on. A crowd had formed quickly.

"Would you like your meal for free, and another drink?"

"How the fuck are you going to ask me a question like that?" Sango snarled, startling the young girl. "Let me see your manager!"

Rayne, who had now joined the crowd behind Sango, gave her band mate's hand a squeeze. Sango was overdoing it a little. Sango glanced back from the corner of her eye and gave the slightest nod to Rayne to calm her down a bit.

The young red head walked to the back stiffly, frightened beyond belief. She returned moments later with her manager, her face paler than it was before. The other workers stood off to the side watching the occurrence, whispering to each other.

"What's the problem here ma'am?"

"There was a huge clump of hair in my drink- I don't know what kind of game your employees are playing; but I'm really upset about this," Sango said with her voice convincible with tightness.

"We can prepare another meal for you and give you-"

"You don't understand, _ma'am_. Do you see this disgusting clump of hair? _This_ was in my drink," Sango pushed the hair forward with the straw. "That means that I just drank whatever disgusting shit was on this hair. Do you know how nasty that is?"

"Please, language, ma'am," the manager said, irritated greatly by the way Sango was making a big deal out of what happened.

"Look here, bitch. I'm fucking suing you and your damned 'restaurant'," Sango snarled.

The woman looked surprised and then turned to her employees.

"Call mall security."

"Whoa, hold the phone," Sango said, bursting out with laughter. "You don't have to go that far."

"I don't have to go that far?!" the manager exclaimed, her dark brown eyes flashing hate. "You've gone far enough yourself."

Sango glanced back at the young red head who was silently crying with a hand over her mouth. She looked so distraught. Feeling bad, she sighed.

"I apologize," Sango said, removing her hat. Running her hand through her hair a few times she smirked. "How about I make it up to you?"

"This is ridiculous and this is obviously your hair," the manager said pinching the bridge of her nose as she glanced down at the soggy hair sitting on the table. "Call mall security," she ordered her employees once again.

"Ok, ok; wait," Sango said removing her sunglasses. A gasp ran through the crowd and whispers began. "Really? How can I make it up to you?"

Rayne also removed her disguise and stepped forward dropping the sunglasses and hat on the counter.

"Free tickets for you to come to our next show," Rayne offered the young crying girl. A smile broke out on her face- a big smile.

"Oh my god I'm a huge fan," she started, her face quickly gaining color.

"Autographs?" Sango offered.

"And a picture," the manager bargained, laughing to herself at the absurdity. What were the chances?

"And that clump of hair!" an employee exclaimed, stepping forward.

The commotion of everyone talking fell silent quickly as all attention fell on the employee. The boy with the bleached blonde hair who had asked for the hair shrugged.

"It's Sango's hair isn't it?" he asked awkwardly.

Rayne laughed and nodded, and the rest of the crowd laughed.

After a few hours of entertaining the crowd, Sango and Rayne were headed home.

"Sango, you are so crazy," Rayne laughed thinking back to the whole thing.

"You were the one who dared me to do it!" Sango laughed thinking back to how it all began.

_The two women were finishing up their meal as Rayne grabbed Sango's brush, planning to head to the bathroom. Her hair was slipping out of her hat._

"_What the fuck, Sango. Don't you ever clean your brush?" she asked, tearing off the dead hair._

"_I don't see your obsession with things like that," Sango shrugged, shoving a few fries in her mouth._

"_What are you talking about?" Rayne shot a deadly glare at Sango._

"_Oh come on, Ms. OCD. Hair on the brush, toothpaste on the cap; even with Ketchup," she listed. "You're obsessed with cleaning stuff like that," Sango said after taking a drink of her Sprite._

"_The brush will work better if there isn't a shit load of hair tangled in it," Rayne muttered with a blush._

"_Admit it; you've got OCD or something," Sango smirked, setting her drink down._

"_I don't have OCD. It's just gross that you-"_

"_Gross?" Sango laughed. "How is that gross? It's not like I don't wash my hair. It's not dirty or anything."_

_Rayne opened Sango's drink and dropped the hair in. Sango's mouth fell open as she snatched her drink back even though she knew it was too late._

"_Drink it now," Rayne said with a smirk; her blue eyes were lively and bright. She was obviously up to no good._

"_Hell no, that's-"_

"_Gross?"_

"_Ok, ok. I give. But I'd still drink it," Sango shrugged eating a few more fries._

"_Drink it," Rayne stated soundly._

_Sango looked around a bit and put her lips on the straw and pretended to drink the soda._

"_Ew, ew; just stop," Rayne said causing Sango to laugh._

"_It'd be really funny if I went back to the cashier and was like, 'Hey, bitch. There's hair in my drink!'"_

_Rayne laughed, thinking back to the cute cashier with the freckles. To see her reaction would be hilarious._

"_I dare you to do it," Rayne smiled at Sango. Sango's eyes snagged on Rayne's blue ones which seemed much happier since a few days after they broke up; Rayne was finally over the awkwardness of the break up. It seemed that Rayne liked their friendship more than she had liked their romantic relationship._

"_Ok, but just because you're my best friend and I love you to death," Sango smiled and started off. Pulling her sunglasses down to cover her eyes, she approached the counter looking around inconspicuously._

"You know what, Ray?"

Rayne looked up with curious blue eyes. Cocking an eyebrow, a habit she picked up from Sango, she waited for her friend to say something.

"That dude totally wanted my fucking hair. Hell yes for being famous- lets party tonight."

The blue eyed drummer laughed and agreed, enjoying her day with Sango fully.

* * *

Kagome silently packed her bag as her class ended. Zipping up the part where her laptop lay, she checked her desk one last time and quickly headed out of the room. She reached for her phone to make sure that her lunch date with Rin and Reiki was still on. She was surprised to see a text from Rin:  
_  
"dont worry kags. i remembered. rei called to remind me. c ya soon"_

Kagome was very glad that she had Reiki as a friend- Rin would be totally lost without guidance from one or another. Hopping into her car, Kagome got to the coffee shop in a reasonable time. Stepping in she spotted Reiki and Rin already seated and enjoying muffins together.

"About time," Rin feigned sighing with irritation.

Ignoring Rin's comment with a roll of her eyes and lighthearted smirk on her lips, Kagome took a seat.

"So, what were you talking about?" she asked the two who had obviously been waiting for a small amount of time.

Reiki's face was immediately engulfed in a bright pink blush and Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but Reiki cut her off.

"We _just_ ordered you a muffin!" she interrupted, handing her a muffin that they had indeed just ordered. It was chocolate chip- one of Kagome's favorites. They also pushed over a cup of coffee. Kagome wasn't too fond of coffee, but she managed it.

"Why so suspicious, huh Reiki?" Rin asked slyly, causing Reiki's blush to brighten noticeably.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no; please don't Rin," the younger girl pleaded with wide green eyes.

"Rin, what's going on?" Kagome asked suddenly suspicious of everything. She looked at the muffin, examining it for explosives or something else Rin could've put on, under, or in it- like a condom. Would Rin do something crazy like that?

Yeah, she definitely would.

"Hmmm, well I don't think I should tell you Kagome," Rin said, pretending to ponder whether or not to tell Kagome.

The blue eyed girl pouted cutely, in hopes of getting the information she desired.

"Oh, Reiki, I bet that's driving you insane," Rin said, causing Reiki's blush to continue on brightly.

"Rin, no…"

"Yeah, those wonderfully soft lips we were just talking about. Look at how full and pink they are, Reiki," Rin said with a devilish smirk.

It was now Kagome's turn to blush. Reiki covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.

"I bet you'd love to kiss them again right now. Just like you told me you did Sunday morning."

"Oh my god, Rin," Reiki heaved a muffled groan. Her ears, which were visible to the other two, were turning red as well.

Rin laughed and Kagome stayed quiet, wondering what to do now. Rin really did take it over the top sometimes. Reiki slowly uncovered her face after her blush had receded; Rin was still laughing hysterically. People were starting to stare at her.

"That was a kick ass kiss, wasn't it?" Kagome smiled, trying her hardest to keep her blush from glowing too brightly.

Reiki blushed and nodded a bit.

"I'm flattered you think my lips are so awesome too," Kagome chuckled. "I love your lips. They're… ah, well they're really nice."

Reiki's face reddened instantly.

"Thank you," Reiki blushed; her voice was soft and hesitant.

"You're welcome. And I'd like to tell you that you're an amazing kisser. I just couldn't stop kissing you; really," Kagome smiled lightly.

"Oh…. So that's how you seduce her!" Rin exclaimed, causing her two companions to cringe.

"You're really a mood killer," Kagome mumbled before laughing.

"Hey hey, from what Reiki told me, you shouldn't be setting a mood anyways," Rin scolded lightheartedly.

"Ah, this is true," Kagome smiled. "But I'm only telling the truth. Reiki's an awesome kisser- makes me wonder how she learned how to kiss so well."

"Oh please, like she-"

"Well… back in high school… I was really popular. I had plenty of boyfriends."

Both Rin and Kagome's eyes widened in surprise.

"No way; Shy Reiki had "plenty of boyfriends"?!" Rin gasped.

Reiki blushed and continued with a nod, "I was pretty messed up. I just took advantage of the fact that I hardly ever had to study to get by. I was hardly ever home- always out partying and whatnot."

"Are you a virgin?" Rin whispered curiously.

Reiki's cheeks blasted with color, "I... I don't have to tell you that."

"Oh my god, Reiki's lost her big V!"

"I haven't!" Reiki defended with a blush. "I just… don't like talking about that."

Rin prepared to retort, but Kagome silenced her, "Come on Rin. Calm down- you're really embarrassing her."

"Well I'm sure that if you kiss Kagome enough, she'll steal it from you. I hear she's pretty good at eating-"

"That's enough!" Kagome exclaimed with a hot blush across her cheeks. "Let's _please_ talk about something else."

"So you like to party do you, Reiki? Kagome likes to party; she's a fucking awesome dancer too," Rin said, leaning forward over her muffin crumbs.

Reiki smiled knowingly and boldly asked, "Do you guys want to go out tonight?"

Once again, the two other girls looked at her in awe.

"Seriously- who the fuck are you and what have you done with-"

"Please don't finish that sentence," Kagome said smacking her palm to her forehead at the corniness that nearly escaped from her friend's mouth.

"I'm not kidding, Kagome. Where's Reiki?" Rin asked, leaning forward more.

"Stop being so stupid, Rin," Kagome rolled her eyes and pressed her lips together in annoyance.

"Ok, whatever. I'm going to the bathroom," Rin stated soundly.

"Gees, what's wrong with her?" Kagome muttered, tearing into her muffin ferociously.

Reiki watched on silently, obviously wanting to say something but keeping to herself. Kagome looked up at her, seeing the curiosity billow in her deep green eyes.

"What is it, Rei?" Kagome asked, knowing that the girl wanted to talk.

"Did you really," she started, but then lost her nerve. With a blush quickly coloring her face she blurted, "Do you really perform cunnilingus?"

Kagome began to cough, not believing what she was hearing. After getting the chunk of muffin from her throat and wiping at her watering eyes she looked up again to see Reiki's face covered in worry. Her eyes still displayed curiosity, however. Kagome just couldn't find words to say and as she struggled to form a reply, Reiki continued.

"You know… 'Munching rug', 'going down', 'lip service', 'eating ou-"

"Ah, Reiki," Kagome cleared her throat a bit. "This isn't really the best place to talk about this," she whispered in embarrassment.

"Can we talk about it later?" Reiki asked, blushing ridiculously.

"I suppose," Kagome said with a sigh. "There was something else I wanted to talk about though."

"The kiss?"

"You mean the kisses," Kagome laughed lightly, causing Reiki to smile.

"Yeah, that's what I mean," the younger girl nodded.

"So my guess is that we both just wanted to kiss each other. Maybe you had another reason, but I knew I just wanted to kiss you without worrying about… a relationship. Perhaps that's selfish of me- to kiss you just because I knew you wouldn't complain; but I don't regret it," Kagome said, drinking her coffee hesitantly because of her recent choking.

"Look, Kagome. I know we won't ever start dating; but I took the chance I knew I could have. I did just want to kiss you and maybe, deep in my heart it was for you to like me more, but in my mind it was just to feel your lips against mine again," Reiki explained.

"So we both kissed each other, just to kiss each other," Kagome verified with a light blush on her cheeks.

Reiki nodded with a matching blush.

"Whoever you end up with, Rei, they'll be one lucky person," Kagome smiled.

"I could say the same for you, but I know who you'll end up with. I have total faith in the two of you," Reiki smiled.

"I hope so, Reiki," Kagome smiled dreamily.

"So, you two done with bonding or what? Can we leave?" Rin asked, looking disgruntled.

"What's your problem now?" Kagome asked, genuinely worried about Rin's wellbeing. She looked a bit sad and irritated.

"Shesshy refuses to drive down to go to the club with us," she reiterated to her friends. "We kind of got into an argument, but whatever."

All of this in the short time she had gone to the bathroom? Kagome had to wonder how long she had been choking on the muffin.

"Anyways, unlike the two of you; I didn't have class in the morning and have it in a few minutes. I'll see you later," Rin said as she grabbed her bags. "And no more kissing, you two! But if you do happen to swap spit sometime, keep it to yourselves!" Rin yelled loudly, demanding the attention of everyone in the coffee shop. As soon as she left, all eyes turned to Kagome and Reiki who left the shop in a hurry. Once outside, they began to laugh- Rin was always so funny. It never ceased to amaze them.

* * *

Rayne reclined on the bed as Sango finished getting dressed. The blue eyed drummer was quite satisfied with their friendship as of now. They really seemed closer than before without the stress of pleasing each other weighing down on their relationship. Rayne still found Sango as attractive as ever and found it hard to keep her eyes and thoughts from roaming where they shouldn't- like now. Sango was carelessly getting dressed in front of her.

Blue eyes hungrily ate up Sango's perfectly tanned skin and long supple legs. Nicely toned abs became her primary entertainment as her band mate arched her back to hook her bra. Walking over to the bed, Sango picked up her baggy cargo pants and pulled them on. They hung extra low on her hips and Rayne could barely restrain herself. She was formulating a plan of escape when Sango began to speak to her.

"Thanks for ironing my clothes Ray," Sango smiled zipping up her pants.

"Ah, yeah," Rayne replied, detached.

Sango, hearing Rayne's distraction, made her way over to her relaxing friend.

"Ray; you alright?" Sango asked, leaning over.

Rayne's eyes were glued to the swell of Sango's breasts. The prominent line that formed between them when she leaned forward was so appetizing. Rayne wanted to run her tongue down it like she had done countless times before.

"Hey, Ray, up here," Sango chuckled.

With a frown, Rayne rolled onto her side, looking away from Sango. It was so hard to live with Sango, especially since nearly everything she did turned her on. Just by being Sango she had the power to drive Rayne crazy. Rayne had to sit by and contain herself but she wanted nothing more than to have her way with Sango over and over.

"Oh come on Ray; don't be so sour. We're going to a club- we'll meet some hot chicks. You can do your thing," Sango said, slipping her tiny black tank top on.

"Why do you have to be so fucking hot, Sango?" Rayne mumbled causing Sango to chuckle. "I'm not even kidding," the blue eyed drummer continued in reply to Sango's laughing. "I want you so bad right now."

Sango was surprised by her confession; well not really. She knew Rayne was an upfront person when it came to things as such. She just didn't expect it so soon. Walked to the other side of their bed and sat down and stared Rayne in the eye.

"If you want, we can forget about the club and entertain ourselves here. There's no problem with a little touching every now and then," Sango shrugged.

"Oh god, Sango. Don't tease me," Rayne groaned in frustration.

"Who said I was teasing?" Sango whispered gently.

"But… Sango… I… Don't you… You can't," Rayne mumbled, pushing Sango away as she sat up. "You love Kagome so much," she ran her hands through her hair to fix it; it had become a bit disorderly as she had lay on the bed.

"I'm not with Kagome right now, Rayne. Right now, Kagome and Reiki are together. I'm not dating anyone so there wouldn't be anything wrong with it."

"Then why did you break up with me?!"

"Because I love Kagome and it'd be harder to break up if I waited too long," Sango sighed, her hand finding a way to her friend's cheek. Very gently, she caressed Rayne's cheek.

"But why are you… proposing this?"

"I'm horny as hell, Rayne. You are too; so why not propose it?" her green eyes were darker than usual. Rayne could tell that she was only speaking the truth.

"I… I don't want to be someone you're just going to use, Sango. I'm sorry," Rayne pulled Sango's gentle hand away from her face reluctantly. "Find some whore at the club."

Sango looked surprised, and then she looked horrified. Her eyes widened and she sprung to her feet.

"Oh my god; I'm so sorry Ray! I'm so sorry!" Sango stumbled away and out of the room quickly.

Rayne sat there by herself for a moment, wondering what the hell had just happened. She stood and finished getting ready by reapplying her make-up and putting in her jewelry. Grabbing her coat, she exited the room to find Sango sitting on the couch with her face in her hands. She sat next to her friend and pulled her to her in a warm hug.

"God, Ray. I'm really sorry. I was being a total ass hole," Sango said sincerely.

"It's ok."

"No it's not- I tried to take advantage of you. What kind of friend does that?"

"Sango, let's just forget about it and go have fun. Please," the blue eyed girl was just happy that Sango was once again in her arms.

"_If_ I _did_ bring someone home with me, how would you feel?"

"I'd rather you didn't," Rayne answered truthfully.

Taking a deep breath Sango released it and pulled away from Rayne with a smirk.

"Alright, let's head out; you're ready right?"

Rayne nodded and the two left their home prepared to have a good time.

* * *

**Have you ever done anything crazy at a restaurant? I know I have!! XD haha but here's not the place to share it. anyways...**

**Thanks for reading! Review please!  
-Enigmatic Ethereality**


	8. Chapter 8: Reminisce

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* * *

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Ah, so here's the strange chapter that I said I'd update with... It's not as bad as I thought it would be. I actually kind of like it. I won't be able to update for two weeks because I'll be traveling to Texas soon- my volleyball team is going to the national championship. So... Enjoy this chapter and Review! Perhaps I'll be able to pull another quick installment out of my ass before i leave. XD If not, this one's a _little_ longer than the others.

Thanks to those who reviewed last chapter!

**Rated: ****Mature** for mature themes/situations, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha or any other copyrighted materials. Just the plot, Reiki, and Rayne.

* * *

"Kagome?" Reiki asked as she thumbed through her textbook on Genetic Engineering.

"Yeah," the blue eyed girl replied, finishing the sentence she was writing.

"How did you meet Sango?"

"How did I meet Sango?" Kagome repeated. "Well, we met in high school."

"Oh… that's all?"

"What kind of story are you looking for, Rei?" Kagome set her pen down. The library was cold and quiet.

Shying away from Kagome's intense gaze she blushed and averted her eyes.

"Well, I was kind of hoping to know… more than that. Like… how long you were friends until you two started dating. Who asked who out… you know," Reiki trailed off looking at her hands.

"What's with all of the strange questions Rei?" Kagome asked causing Reiki to look distraught.

"I'm sorry! I just… I just want to know. I don't mean to make you uncomfortable… I'm sorry. I'll stop asking you; I promise," the younger girl babbled.

"Whoa, Rei. It's ok… I enjoy answering your questions."

"Well, some of them," Kagome thought to herself after remembering how awkward their conversation about oral sex had been.

Reiki smiled hesitantly and Kagome felt there was no way escaping the long story that awaited them.

"Well, let me start by explaining the type of person I was in high school before I met Sango…"

_A young, 14 year old Kagome sat quietly by herself in the lunchroom. Her intensely light blue eyes were glued to the table where her lunch sat, untouched. She had no appetite to eat; she never did at school. At school, she became who she was inside; a lonely, depressed young girl with no way of expressing herself to anyone. There wasn't anyone to express her feelings and thoughts to. She didn't have too many friends and the few she could consider friends were all seniors and had an open lunch period- they could leave the campus to eat lunch. In reality they could care less about the young girl._

_This was why Kagome ate her lunch alone every day. She didn't have class with kids her age because of the advanced classes she was taking. That meant that she never got the opportunity to socialize with them. It was at this time she truly hated being as smart as she was. She felt like a freak; a total outcast. At times, it made her want to cry but she knew that was foolish. She knew it was foolish to shed tears over being alone for only 45 minutes. She knew that was hardly anything to cry over._

_Especially since she had recently had a tragedy in her family; well it wasn't exactly recent. The death of her father had occurred a few years before, but she knew what true sorrow was and being alone for lunch was trivial in her opinion. At least she didn't get picked on or beat up._

_The bell rang and Kagome quickly left the loud cafeteria and headed to class. She had two classes she took at school and two she went to the computer lab and took online. Those two were classes she had to take because the school had run out of science and math classes to offer her. The school was kind of bad with that- many other schools offered those courses. Kagome was just unfortunate enough to have to attend the school she did._

_Class went by uneventfully. School was undoubtedly boring for her. It was all too easy- she just wanted to hurry and graduate. Then she knew she'd have more control over her life._

_After class, her friend InuYasha was waiting for her. He always tried his best to walk with her to class. At the moment, he was her best friend. Kagome adored InuYasha more than anyone else she had ever met. He was handsome, friendly, and out spoken. He was very popular which was why Kagome was so surprised by the fact that he even talked to her. She had somehow developed a small crush on the older boy._

"_Hey Kagome?" InuYasha asked as they stopped at her locker._

"_Yeah 'Yash?" Kagome asked blushing. InuYasha was such a punk- always wearing red and black. His hair was long and very pale. The younger girl supposed that he had bleached it before._

"_You hear about that celebrity that's supposed to be attending our school soon?" he asked as he nodded a hello to some other students who were passing by._

"_What? A celebrity? No, I haven't. Why would a celebrity come to this school of all places?" she asked him, relinquishing her books and picking up her laptop. Slamming her locker shut and relocking it she looked up into InuYasha's smoldering eyes curiously. He gave a "yeah this place is a dump" smirk and continued._

"_Yeah, Sango Taijiya… You know; the daughter of that late guitarist. He was the guy who used to shred majorly for the Demon Slayers."_

"_Oh, wow… her huh?"_

_Kagome hadn't really been much of a fan of the Demon Slayers. She had hardly ever listened to their music. She did know that their guitarist was a beast, however, and it had been a scoop in the rock world to find that he had committed suicide. Sango had then begun appearing in magazines and on TV. The world wanted to know what she would do with her life and her little brother's life. She, whenever asked about her father, would talk shit about him. She hated him, she confessed. She claimed he was an awful parent and that she never really knew him._

_People didn't like her because she talked shit about one of the best guitarist known, ever. Kagome admired her bravery to speak her mind. She wanted to be someone like Sango; someone who'd tell everyone how she felt just because she felt like it. She wanted to be bold and brave._

"_Yeah, and she's a total babe too," InuYasha said, seemingly disappearing into thought._

_Kagome blushed at this. This was the first time InuYasha had ever said anything about girls in front of her. She figured it was because he kind of knew she liked him and didn't want to hurt her feelings._

"_Is she your type?" Kagome asked, desperate not to blow her cover and reveal her crush._

_InuYasha started, looking surprised that Kagome had said anything. He blushed and looked away, surprising Kagome._

"_No, not really. She's hot and all, but I rather my girls cute and just a tad bit softer than her; if you know what I mean?" He looked back up smiling and Kagome felt like she'd melt into a puddle of soft flesh and bone. Had InuYasha just hit on her? No, it couldn't be possible._

"_Ah, anyways, I've gotta get to class," he said, slipping back into his punker attitude._

"_Oh, yeah. Sorry 'Yash," Kagome mumbled, noticing how the crowd in the hallway had been thinning._

"_Yeah, I'll see you after school or something," he said, heading off. Kagome watching InuYasha walk away in his tight jeans and blushed realizing that her crush had only been growing._

"Wait a second… You liked this guy; InuYasha? Kikyo's boyfriend?"

"Ah, yeah. Kinda… It was just a small crush," Kagome blushed. "Plus, after I met Sango… well, I'll have to explain that in the story."

"So wait. How long after finding out she'd be attending, did she actually show up?" Reiki asked.

"Ah… three days," Kagome remembered.

* * *

Sango lay comfortably in Rayne's arms. They had come in late from the club and had slept in quite the bit because they were absolutely exhausted. It had been one hell of a party. Sango smiled at that remembering how drunk Rayne had gotten. Not too drunk, mind you, but drunk enough to suggest that they go home.

"Sango?" Rayne asked, trying to figure out whether or not her band mate was awake or not.

"Yeah babe?" Sango asked turning her head to see Rayne's tired blue eyes.

"I… We didn't um…"

"No," Sango answered before Rayne could finish. She knew what Rayne's first concern would be- they were naked in bed together. That would've been her first concern if she had been intoxicated as well. But she hadn't been intoxicated and she had made sure nothing too serious happened between them.

"Oh, good because I remember getting undressed and… making out a little. I just wanted to make sure."

Rayne's blush was indeed a bright pink.

Sango tilted her head just a bit to kiss Rayne gently on the lips.

"You have fun last night?" Sango wanted to know, licking her lips.

"Yeah," her younger companion answered, blushing still.

"Is it ok with you if I kiss you? Or would you still consider that… something we shouldn't do?" Sango began to bite her lower lip.

"I… Sango- I just don't understand," Rayne started but then she sighed. "No, we shouldn't even kiss."

Looking a little put down by that Sango sighed but then smiled.

"You're right. I'm being a total asshole again," Sango chuckled.

Rayne didn't reply so Sango continued, "We've got a photo shoot tomorrow morning along with an interview around two or so. Kikyo says we need to rest up; so I suggest we just chill here for today."

So the two of them just relaxed all day together; they listened to music, watched TV, played board games, and annoyed Kikyo on the phone. It only took them a few hours to decide that they were bored out of their minds. The two sat on the couch enjoying some iced tea together. (1)

"Sango, I'm bored," Rayne whined.

"Ditto on that," Sango muttered.

"Want to play truth or dare?"

"Haven't we had enough of _that_ this week?"

Rayne blushed and continued, "Umm."

She pondered for a few moments and then seemed to suddenly remember.

"You know… I've been wondering how you met Kagome. What was your first impression of her?"

"Oh, so you want a story do you?" Sango asked, shutting her eyes with a light blush on her cheeks.

"Aw, Sango; you're blushing."

Sango merely smiled and sighed.

"Well I suppose I should start, huh? I moved to Kagome's school nearing the end of junior year..."

_Sango was simply disgusted by the dark dank atmosphere of the school she was now navigating her way through. As soon as she stepped foot into the dirty school, she began to internally chastise herself for not picking a better school. She had better options in the area of her grandmother's home. Possibly going to _

_the grubbiest of them all wasn't the best idea. However, the school was low key and hardly got attention for anything, so she figured she'd give it a try. She hoped that her last year and a quarter at this school would breeze by like the dirty walls she was swiftly passing._

_Sango stepped up to the door of her new classroom. It was a heavy wooden door- she wondered why they'd need a door so impervious, but let that pass for a few moments. Setting her jaw, she pushed the door open and stepped in, shutting it behind her. Her goal was to say a little as she could- she was already a silent and introspective person so it shouldn't have been hard._

_That was what she was thinking until she saw her classmates. One classmate in particular._

_Out of all of the wide eyes that looked up at her, a pair of icy blue snagged onto her own. As quickly as they connected, they broke apart. Sango stood, staring at the young girl for some time. She was obviously very young- or perhaps she just looked young. Whatever the case be Sango was instantly drawn to her. She watched the girl focus on her paper with unnatural interest as a blush crept across her pale cheeks. Her dark black hair fell into her face and Sango could no longer see her face. She finally decided to give her teacher her attention._

"_As you see students, we have a new student in class," the Physics teacher started. "Please be kind and respectful to Sango."_

_Everyone, minus the cute blue eyed girl, exclaimed hello to Sango. After sitting in class silently, offering no words of any kind to anyone around her, students finally stopped attempting to befriend the orphaned celebrity. Sango sat examining everyone. The Physics teacher looked like a park ranger or some sort of adventurer. He had a ridiculous looking hat on and was wearing a vest. She wondered if this was all for her- the extravagance. It sickened her._

_Looking to her left, she once again noticed the quiet brunette whose frosty blue eyes refused to give her attention. Every now and then, she'd notice the young girl peaking at her from the corner of her eye. Sango, for the first time ever, wanted a friend and was determined to make this girl her friend. Their personalities would match perfectly._

"_Kagome," the teacher called. The young girl looked up and her lovely features were exposed to Sango. "Come assist me with this."_

_The young girl nodded and got out of her desk to help the teacher out with whatever._

_Sango couldn't take her eyes off her. Every chance she got she'd admire her beautiful blue eyes._

_Snapping her out of her thoughts, the bell rang. Packing up her new, old and tattered text book, she stood hoping to speak to the young girl who had caught her attention. She followed after her, one of the last to leave the classroom. She was about to say something when the girl was suddenly given company in form of a tall, handsome punk. He smiled at her as she said something._

_Jealous filled Sango and if her luck couldn't get any worse he noticed her standing there watching them. His amber eyes widened and he smiled handsomely._

"_I'm InuYasha," he offered his hand. Kagome watched the scene unfold as Sango's green eyes hardened at him. She turned away from his out stretched hand and walked off._

"Wait, you thought InuYasha was her boyfriend?"

"Yeah; he always was around her. Always walked her to class and what not; I totally hated him from day one."

"So you were just instantly attracted to her?" Rayne asked, a little confused.

"Yes Rayne. There was something about her- there is _still_ something about her."

* * *

"So when did you two finally start talking?" Reiki asked with her chin in her palm.

"Well, you see… she always avoided me except for at lunch… I later learned it was because of InuYasha."

_The first time Sango sat with Kagome at lunch, it had certainly startled the young girl. Kagome had been sketching in her sketch book to pass time. Sango had come from nowhere and sat right in front of her. In embarrassment, Kagome had tried to hide what she was drawing- another picture of InuYasha. Unfortunately for her; she had just flipped to another picture of him. To her relief, the older girl said nothing. She hadn't said anything to anyone in the school all day. She was very quiet and mysterious; alluring in ways. Her dark green eyes were captivating and observant._

_So the two sat in silence together in the lunchroom; Sango just looking around and often at Kagome. This made Kagome very self conscious, but she tried her hardest to ignore it. She soon got used to it because Sango joined Kagome at lunch every day and around the fourth day she found herself looking for Sango before she arrived._

_The following week Sango was watching Kagome draw yet another picture of InuYasha. The blue eyed girl no longer tried to hide the pictures she drew._

"_Is he your boyfriend?"_

_Absolutely startled by the gentle voice, Kagome jumped, tossing her pencil straight from her hand. Her blue eyes widened and Sango merely stared at her, waiting for an answer._

"_He… um, no. We're just friends," Kagome stumbled to form her words._

"_But you like him?" Sango asked, her dark eyes were intense and focused._

_Kagome blushed a blush of embarrassment and nodded._

"_Does he like you?"_

"_I don't know," Kagome answered truthfully._

_Silence once again invaded between the two and Kagome felt uncomfortable._

"_You're an amazing artist. Is it something you want to do in college?" Sango asked with her chin in her palm. She looked absolutely bored._

"_Maybe… I plan on going into engineering or maybe the medical field."_

"_Wow, big dreams huh? Why not art though; it's obvious you like it," Sango said softly._

"_I… Everyone expects me to-..." Kagome stopped talking after hearing herself say that._

"_Why do you care so much about what everyone wants? Why not do what you'll like?"_

"_But… It'd be a _waste_ if I did art."_

"_A waste?"_

"_Sango," Kagome tried the name on her lips. It felt wonderful. "I'm a fourteen year old genius pretty much. I have a photographic memory. If I don't do something worthwhile, I'll feel like I've wasted my intellect."_

"_Creating art isn't wasteful," Sango said, suddenly standing. The bell rang and she was gone._

_The next day at lunch, Kagome was surprised to see Sango sitting there before her. The older girl was eating Skittles and drinking Sprite._

"_Hey," she greeted Kagome. The blue eyed girl returned the greeting and they ate their lunch in silence once again._

"Sorry to interrupt you again; but when did you start to like her?" the green eyed girl.

"Well… I didn't exactly realize when I started to like her. It was just, suddenly I noticed how much I loved being around her and how much she made my heart thunder," Kagome replied. "And then… and then she…"

_Kagome sat on the curb of the front yard. The night air was amazingly refreshing to her. InuYasha was having a party and he had invited her. This was the third party he had hosted that year and the only one Kagome had had the nerve to attend; this was only because Sango had convinced her to go. They had become best friends within the month that Sango had been around._

_A shadow created by someone standing behind her startled her. Kagome looked up to see Sango standing behind her with a can of Sprite in her hand. She sat and the light coming from the house joined the music which was pulsing from within. Kagome turned back around once seeing that Sango had taken a seat. They cast faint shadows on the dark asphalt._

_Sango stretched her legs outward and sighed._

"_This party sucks," she muttered looking at the can of soda in her hand. "Here; I got this for you."_

_Kagome took the cold drink thankfully. Opening it she took a sip and relaxed silently with Sango. Looking to her right she found Sango gazing out across the street. She looked clam, but her eyes showed that she was concentrating very hard on something. Suddenly she turned and looked at Kagome. The younger girl was once again caught off guard by the intensity of her deep green eyes._

_Sango leaned forward and Kagome knew exactly what was happening. Her blue eyes widened in surprise as Sango's eyes swiftly shut. She felt a gentle pressure on her lips and knew that Sango had taken her first kiss. She felt stupid, not knowing what to do, and sighed when Sango pulled away. Green eyes stared at her still and Sango began to talk._

"_Ever since I met you, Kagome, I was instantly taken. You're an amazing person and I love everything about you. I know this may be a shock and may seem completely outrageous, but I really like you. I'm sorry if I've offended you by kissing you," she said._

* * *

"And when I kissed her," Sango sighed. "I felt as if I had found my purpose in life."

"So you just kissed her out of the blue?" Rayne asked, completely engrossed in the story.

"Yes, I had been thinking about it all night and when she was finally by herself I took my chance."

"So what did she do?"

"Well, after I told her how I felt, she…"

_Kagome stared at Sango for a long time. Sango didn't seem fazed by this at all, but then again, she never seemed fazed about anything really. Blue eyes searched dark green eyes and then Kagome looked away._

"_You're a lesbian?" this question came more as a breathless statement._

"_Yes," Sango answered immediately. "I don't think guys have good enough traits to be lovers." (2)_

"_And you think I'm a lesbian too?" Kagome cleared her throat._

"_Well, not really… because you like InuYasha. I didn't really think much about that. I just knew that-"_

_Sango was silenced by a harsh slap._

"_That was my first kiss, Sango!" Kagome spat with tears in her eyes._

"She _slapped_ you?" Rayne asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah, and then she threw her soda at me and ran off. I just sat there for a while wondering how the hell that had happened. I was so sure that she liked me just enough," Sango chuckled. "Which she did but… yeah- she was in denial for the next two weeks."

"What did you do next?" Rayne asked completely enthralled in the story.

"I left. I figure when someone's angry, it's better to leave them alone for some time. So I left and I didn't bother her all weekend."

"Are you sure that's not because your ego was bruised?"

"Maybe a little. Plus I was covered in soda; the mosquitoes couldn't keep off of me," Sango joked.

* * *

"I can't believe you slapped her!" Reiki was amazed.

"I only slapped her because I thought she had discovered my secret. That I secretly did have a crush on her- not only that but I was so confused. I liked her but then I liked InuYasha and I should've just picked her straight away because she was the one who returned my feelings but I didn't…"

_In a daze Kagome stumbled her way back into the pulsing party. The blurriness caused by her tears didn't help as she navigated through the tightly packed bodies. She found her way into a vacant hallway and fell to her knees. She cried to herself wanting nothing more than to unscramble the craziness in her mind. It was confusing to her to be so confused. Not once in her life had she ever lost order in her head. It was frightening as well. She didn't know what to do- she didn't know who to go to._

_She didn't know how long she was in the dark hallway but soon someone found her._

"_Kagome?"_

_She looked up to see InuYasha gazing down at her with worried amber eyes. He knelt down beside her, absolutely frightened by her bloodshot eyes and red cheeks._

"_Kagome, what happened?" he asked gently touching her shoulder. She immediately lunged into his arms and he cradled her to him. She cried terribly._

"_Kagome, please; tell me what happened," he said to her worried for her wellbeing._

"_Sango… Sango," she mumbled between her tears. "Sango kissed me."_

_InuYasha was absolutely amazed._

"_Was she drunk?" he asked, knowing that at one time or another someone had brought some beer with them._

"_No…. she just… she kissed me InuYasha! And I know this is really sappy, but I'm angry because it was my first kiss and she… she took that away from me," she ranted, losing steam very quickly._

_InuYasha looked anguished and held Kagome tight._

"_I'm angry too; because she took that from me," he whispered to her._

_Kagome pulled away and looked InuYasha in the eye. His face was ablaze with a blush._

_Kagome waited in the living room as InuYasha herded the myriad of teens out of his house. He made a round to make sure everyone had gotten out and then drove Kagome home. He walked her to her porch hoping to talk just a bit more._

"_I'm really sorry about tonight," he apologized. "I should've stayed with you."_

"_It's ok, InuYasha," Kagome smiled tiredly._

"_Look, get some rest and I'll drop by tomorrow, ok? I've gotta get home and clean before Sesshoumaru gets home and starts making a big deal out of the mess," he sighed._

"_Ok, and thank you InuYasha," Kagome nodded. The older boy kissed her gently on the cheek and then dashed back to his car._

_The younger girl entered her house and prepared for bed with a trillion thoughts flying around in her mind._

"So I avoided talking to her or seeing her all weekend," Kagome said introspectively. "I think she was avoiding me too."

"How did it go at school for you guys?"

"Well…."

_Sango wasn't there second period. It was strange to see her seat empty the whole class period. Sango came and left at her own accord- it was as if she felt that everyone was on her schedule, but she was always in class at one time or another. To have her not show at all was a strange occurrence._

_She was at her usual spot at the empty lunch table with headphones on, silently reading a book. Kagome sat awkwardly, giving Sango strange glances. The older girl didn't acknowledge the other girl as she read on diligently through her book. Suddenly, sometime into lunch, Sango dog eared a page and shut her book. She removed her headphones. This simple movement caught Kagome's eye._

"_Hey, Kagome," she said, greeting her like usual._

_Kagome hesitantly replied and Sango sighed._

"_Look, I'm really sorry about what happened on Saturday. I don't want things to be awkward between us," Sango said, her eyes looking distant again._

_Kagome nodded and Sango sighed once more._

"_Look, you can either worry about it or just move on. I don't know why you would worry about because you obviously don't like me. It seems like you and InuYasha have kicked things off anyways. So why the fuck are you acting like this? Do you know how asshole-y that is?" Sango said, her voice staying calm._

_Kagome didn't know how to respond. Sango must've seen them walking hand in hand that morning- it wasn't like they were dating… They were just holding hands. InuYasha had made the move and Kagome had no objections. Her gaze suddenly snagged on Sango's eyes and she saw the hurt and rejection swirling faintly against dark green depths._

"_Was that why you skipped class? Because you saw InuYasha and me?"_

"_No. I had a test to make up in English. I was in the library."_

_Kagome was a bit disappointed by the answer._

"I really hurt her… I felt awful for a long time."

"I can't believe you were so brave with Sango."

"After knowing her for that short time; I came to realize she was a really passive person."

* * *

"I felt like some sort of shit when I saw Kagome and InuYasha walking around holding hands that morning. I was so thankful that I had a test to make up for some other class. I could've gone back to class because I finished way early, but I wasn't ready to face her. I sat in the library and read books- I think I even checked one out."

"Wow, they were holding hands the next day at school?"

Sango nodded and sighed. The phone rang and Sango answered it. Rayne assumed she'd hear Sango and Kagome's story a little later- perhaps Sango would finally share that photo album she had been hiding in her bedside table. Suddenly feeling tired Rayne curled up against Sango and settled in for a quick nap to the sound of Sango's gentle voice negotiating something with someone.

* * *

1- Haha, i'm such a southerner. I really like iced tea. D  
2- Sango's tough on guys, huh? There is a reason for that; but that will be reavealed in a later chapter, perhaps.

**Thanks for reading! Review Please  
-Enigmatic Ethereality**


	9. Chapter 9: If I Kissed You Right Now

**A/N: I'd like to just start off by thanking all of my reviewers! You guys are the best! Really- makes me smile to see reveiws. I'd also like to thank all of you who checked out my new story that I started. For those of you who don't know, it's another Sango/Kagome. Check that out and tell me what you think if you can- you can find that in my profile! Now this chapter here is pretty sweet. It kind of took a random turn when I was writing it, but I liked it. So here it is! The awaited chapter nine of Forgotten Memories II! (Don't worry, it's not the last chapter. I'm not that evil lol). Oh- and I'd like to apologize for any abnormities in the chapter- I didn't take too much time to proof read this one. I wanted to post it as soon as I could :)**

**Rated: Mature** for mature themes/situations, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha or any other copyrighted materials. Just the plot, Reiki, and Rayne.

* * *

**Chapter 9: If I Kissed You Right Now...**

Running a hand through her hair, Kagome sighed in exhaustion. Her grandfather had returned from a month long trip to Japan. His bags were plentiful and helping him lug them all up the stairs was not a simple task. The blue eyed girl had lost her breath and then some and flopped down onto the couch only to find her hair in her face once more. She then realized that it had gotten a bit longer than she preferred.

To her irritation, the doorbell rang. She stood on tired legs and trudged over to the door, wanting nothing more than to take a nap on the couch. All she wanted was a lazy Sunday. Rin was out with Sesshoumaru; her father would be coming sometime that week to spend time with her and meet the man that had stolen her heart. Reiki was on a weekend trip home; a trip she reluctantly went on. Kagome had the whole weekend to herself and all she wanted was to lie around. She hadn't expected getting her grandfather situated at home would take so much out of her. How would she handle going out with her family (and Kohaku) for dinner that night if she was already so tired?

Still pondering this, she opened the door and was surprised to see deep green eyes staring straight at her. Her lips fell apart and she couldn't find words to say. Green eyes stared into hers frantically and she heard her take a deep breath.

"Kagome, I…"

"Sango? What is it?" Kagome wondered, pulling her inside. Surprise pulsed through her body as her heart sped up just by being around the tall, captivating woman.

"I've made a terrible mistake," Sango sounded absolutely breathless and shaken. Kagome was suddenly worried.

_Despite Sango's attempt at keeping things the way they were, Kagome continued to shy away from her. Their friendship became terribly awkward. The older girl suddenly felt as if she had made a terrible mistake. Why did she even kiss Kagome? How stupid of her was that? Could she have possibly thought that their friendship would be the same?_

_After about two days of trying to stomach InuYasha's affection towards the younger girl, she gave up and decided to leave the two alone. What good would have come from her trying to force herself between them? She would've only become more of a nuisance. The day that InuYasha stayed at school to eat lunch with Kagome was the day she decided to stop talking to Kagome all together. She knew it was harsh of her to do that; but she hardly thought of it that way. She didn't think about what effect it would have on Kagome- she only thought of how she'd feel herself. She only thought of how much easier it would be on her to not see them together._

_One day, about two weeks after the incident, InuYasha approached her._

"_Sango," his voice was sharp and clear. She looked up, still leaning against the wall outside._

"_What do you want?" her voice held no friendliness towards him._

"_Look; I know as well as you do that you like Kagome."_

"_And your point?" she snapped, still a bit bitter about what had happened and how she had forced herself to lose her best friend._

"_She likes you too."_

_Silence filled the tense air between them and Sango stared hard at him. He flinched at her harsh jade glare, but then held his own._

"_Why the hell should I trust you? What would you be gaining from this?" she asked calculatingly._

"_I wouldn't be gaining anything Sango. I'd be setting myself up for likely failure. I know how much Kagome likes you- I can feel how much she likes you. I can feel her pain when you walk by without saying anything. I can see the hurt in her eyes when you're not at lunch. I can see her disappointment when she sees the person attached to the hand holding hers isn't you. As her friend, I really hate seeing that," InuYasha confessed._

_Sango stared at him, having found some sort of respect for the handsome young adult. She blushed and looked away, feeling a bit childish._

"_I hate you so much," she told him, feeling weak and tired._

"_Sango, come on. Don't do this to her, please," he pleaded for his young crush._

"_Fuck you! I can't just sit there and watch you two be all cuddly with each other; that's ridiculous InuYasha. I don't care how much I like her- it just won't happen. Nobody in life is worth emotional pain like that," Sango muttered._

_The young celebrity had had hard experiences with trusting people and allowing herself to hurt just because of someone. After realizing that she just wouldn't tolerate male behavior and losing Janet, her most recent ex, to Hojo, she knew she wasn't cut out for toying around when it came to her heart. She knew she wasn't that strong emotionally._

"_Sango, I'm going to tell her she needs to decide between us. I've already promised her that I'd stay her friend if she chooses you… she just wants your promise too, Sango. She wants you to promise that you'll stay her friend," InuYasha proposed slowly._

_Sango didn't reply. She saw that proposal as Kagome already deciding that she wanted InuYasha. Feeling hurt and irritated, she walked away._

Kagome watched Sango sip slowly at a cup of water. The older girl looked a ton more relaxed; in fact, she looked extremely calm. The younger girl silently watched, wondering what had had the musician in such a fret. Green eyes glanced her way and she smiled.

"Sango; I'm happy to see you and all, but what are you doing here?" Kagome asked with justified curiosity.

Sango paused and set her water down on the table that sat before her.

"Kagome," she said with her green eyes boring hard into frosty blue. A blush was fighting to rise on Kagome's cheeks.

"I'm about to say something that could possibly change _everything_," Sango mumbled with seriousness slipping in and out of her voice.

"Everything?" Kagome asked, a bit apprehensive.

"Yes, Kagome. Everything," Sango confirmed as she brushed her bangs out of her eyes.

Kagome set her jaw, wondering about whatever news she was about to hear.

"Ok Sango. I'm…. I'm ready."

"Ok then," Sango nodded, looking away from Kagome nervously. There was a long moment's silence until; finally, "I'm pregnant." (1)

Kagome's mouth dropped open and all sorts of crazy thoughts started flying through her mind. Sango pregnant? How the hell did that happen? When the hell did Sango get pregnant? She would never cheat on Rayne, and her getting pregnant was just as impossible as Miroku not being a pervert. And what would happen to her career? Who had gotten her pregnant? Kagome felt ill and as she began to lose the color in her face, Sango fell over laughing.

"You ass!" Kagome exclaimed, realizing Sango was only playing with her. "What a cruel joke!"

Sango was still laughing hard and her face was red from how hard she was laughing.

"Oh my god, did you seriously think…" she trailed off, still laughing.

"Well, I did think because of the way you came in here all sweaty and serious," Kagome felt embarrassed by Sango's joke in some way. Sango continued to laugh and Kagome crossed her arms across her chest and turned away, slightly angry.

"Aw, come on," Sango said, laughing lightly still. "Just a little joke; no harm done," she said softly as she wrapped her arms around Kagome.

Kagome refused to relent and Sango smiled, "Oh well then. I guess I won't tell you what I really came here to tell you."

Sango felt Kagome tense at that and she was frosty blue eyes glance over at her apprehensively.

"Do you want to know?" Sango asked, pulling away. She tucked a bit of her dark brown hair behind her ear,

Kagome sighed and turned to look at Sango, wondering if she'd continue to play around with her like that.

"I guess, though I don't know anymore," Kagome mumbled, her heart still pounding after what had just happened. The thought of Sango pregnant really scared her. It really wasn't too nice of Sango to play a trick like that.

"Look, I'm sorry about that; but I did come here to talk to you about something important, anyways," Sango smiled gently. Glancing at Sango's gleaming green eyes, Kagome sighed; her resolve steadily settling.

"Ok, but this time don't play around. I want to hear it right out," Kagome muttered, glaring tiredly at Sango.

"Are you tired?"

"Oh, could you please just tell me what you want to tell me!" Kagome huffed.

"I'm still madly in love with you," Sango smiled.

Silence settled in the dense air between them. Kagome stared hard at Sango, wondering if she had really heard what she had just heard. Sango's eyes were displaying nothing but truth and the pleasant smile on her lips showed that she was content with what she just said.

"Sango… that's… I mean; what about Rayne?" Kagome sputtered, wondering what the hell was going on. Why the sudden change?

"Rayne and I broke up just after visiting you… After seeing you, I realized how I just couldn't hide how much I loved you anymore. And then, Rayne asked me how we met and I realized that we had been through so much. Too much in fact. Too much to throw away just because of one stupid mistake," Sango said, relieved to get it out. "I love you too much to let you go, Kagome. I don't care if you fuck with everyone on the planet- I've realized I'll still love you. And I know I made it hard on you, and forced you to let me go… And I know you've met someone else who's filled your life with smiles, and that she's really special to you…"

Sango stopped talking, and Kagome watched on seeing a strange look wash over her friend's face.

"This is a really asshole-y thing for me to do, huh?" Sango laughed. "I haven't changed a damn bit. I'm still as cocky as ever…"

Kagome continued to stare at Sango, trying to find words to say to her. Sango took this look as confusion and tried to explain what she meant by that.

"I can't just come here and expect you to leave Reiki just because I'm me. That's the kind of attitude that got me slapped by you those years ago," she laughed bitterly.

"Sango… that's…"

"Stupid, I know. I feel dumb really- but you deserve to know. And if you've truly gotten over me, I totally understand. Reiki's really cute, you know. She seems like someone who deserves someone as wonderful as you," Sango smiled, looking a bit defeated.

_Kagome and InuYasha sat silently together outside during lunch in an unpopular area of the school. The blue eyed girl looked tired and simply depressed; InuYasha had tried everything in his power to fix this and bring enjoyment into his young friend's life, but nothing he did could make her smile the way she used to. He had even attempted to bring Sango back, but he failed and Kagome's attitude just got worse._

"_Hey, 'Yash?" Kagome asked, taking a deep breath._

"_Yeah Kagome?" he replied softly glancing over at her._

"_Can you… can you kiss me?" she asked, a blush flying across her cheeks._

"_Kiss you?" his posture went straight and a matching blush showed on his cheeks. "You mean on the lips?" Kagome nodded her reply and InuYasha had to ask, "Why?"_

"_Well… I just want to see what it's like," she replied, refusing to meet his eyes._

"_To compare it to Sango's?" that came out as more as a statement and InuYasha tensed, wondering how Kagome would react to his terse question._

"_I'm sorry," Kagome mumbled, fighting to keep tears from her eyes._

"_It's ok… If you really want me to, I'll do it," he said trying his hardest to not feel rejection. He knew how much Kagome really liked Sango. He knew how much regret she felt every day. He gently used the side of his hand to tilt Kagome's face accordingly and gently pressed his lips against hers. He pulled away when he felt it was enough only to see her eyebrows dip into a thoughtful position. She sighed and shook her head._

"_It's not the same, huh?" InuYasha asked, feeling a bit defeated._

"_No," Kagome replied hesitantly._

"_I never stood a chance against her," he chuckled, trying to show his support. "Look, I've already promised you that I'll still be your friend if you choose her. So why try to force her to do the same if you know you like her more?"_

"_Because… because she's being totally childish! If she can't support me, then what kind of girlfriend would she be?!" Kagome huffed as she crossed her arms defiantly._

"_Kagome, she's a fucking celebrity. She thinks that everyone should bend to her will. You've seriously busted her ego by rejecting her," InuYasha replied._

"_Kiss me again, InuYasha. Please, just try again," Kagome muttered, rubbing at her temples._

"_What for, Kagome? What difference would it make?" he asked, knowing that he had limits and would only go so far._

_She looked up at him, with her big blue eyes pleading with everything in them, and he sighed. Leaning forward once more, InuYasha kissed her gently. This time, it was Kagome who pulled away. InuYasha looked up to see a pair of black and white Converses before them. He followed up the long legs that were trailing from them to find Sango standing before them with her arms crossed._

"_Look, I apologize," Sango bit out, refusing to look at them. She kept her eyes glued to a flyer posted on the wall for a Super Smash Bros tournament that would be hosted by the school's anime club._

"_If you guys are gonna be making out and stuff, I really don't care, but I'd rather you didn't do it in my presence," Sango took a seat silently, across from the two. InuYasha looked over at Kagome to see a look on her face that was indescribable._

"_Will you promise Kagome what we talked about earlier?" InuYasha asked, with his amber eyes scrutinizing._

"_I'm here, aren't I?" Sango mumbled with a smirk on her lips._

"_You… you will?" Kagome looked like she was about to cry._

"_God, do I have to spell everything out?" Sango huffed with a disbelieving look on her face. She also looked surprised when Kagome launched herself into her arms and hugged her tightly. She awkwardly wrapped her arms around the younger girl._

"_Kagome, I'm really sorry," Sango confessed._

"_Sango, you're the one I want to be with," Kagome breathed lightly. Sango looked up to see disappointment in staring amber eyes. InuYasha looked away quickly and stood. Kagome looked back after hearing the movement and looked worried._

"_I'll be back in a few; you guys need your privacy," InuYasha forced a smile and stalked off quickly._

"_Will he be alright?" Sango wondered aloud._

"_I don't know," Kagome confessed._

_After a few moments, she blushed, realizing she was still in Sango's arms._

"_So what was with the kissing earlier?" Sango asked casually._

"_I… I wanted to see if his kiss would be the same as yours… It wasn't. It felt so empty," Kagome sighed with a blush._

"_Are you frightened by that?" Sango asked, resting her head against Kagome's._

"_Am I frightened by how you make me feel?"_

_Sango nodded and Kagome continued, "Well… I was at first because… Well, I hadn't realized that I could possibly like a girl the way I like you, but I've decided that it doesn't matter. As long as I'm happy with you, it doesn't matter."_

"_So… it's official then. You like me?" Sango needed the confirmation._

"_Yes Sango, I like you a lot," Kagome smiled with a huge blush._

_Sango kissed Kagome and the younger girl's heart soared._

"Sango, Reiki and I aren't… well, we aren't dating," Kagome finally said.

"You aren't? What happened?" Sango looked concerned, wondering if Kagome was going through heartache or perhaps a tough breakup.

"Well, we never were dating to begin with… That night you saw us kissing… it was all just horrible timing, really. Reiki and I had just told one another that we liked each other, but I told her that it would be stupid for us to start a romantic relationship because I still loved you," Kagome explained.

"And the kiss?" Sango was thoroughly confused.

"Well… she had asked me to kiss her, and I did because I felt it was the least I could do after breaking her heart. And then everyone saw the kiss and we decided to pretend that we were dating to avoid pressuring questions," the blue eyed girl continued.

"So you and Reiki were never dating?" Sango asked for verification.

"Never," Kagome said softly.

"So that means if I kissed you right now, we'd be hurting no one?" Sango asked.

Kagome blushed and said with a smile, "Exactly."

Sango reached forward and quickly gathered Kagome in her arms. The feel of the younger girl safe in her arms was really too much for her to handle. She took a deep breath enjoying the scent of her lost lover's black locks. She had missed this too much. To have Kagome in her arms again was like finding paradise and she wanted nothing more than to hold her forever. She kissed her flawless neck gently eliciting an equally gentle sigh of contentment from the younger girl. Gentle lips trailed light kisses to soft waiting lips. Sango's lips claimed Kagome's as their own and soon she found her tongue exploring not so newfound territory.

Kagome was so delighted by the happenings that she felt she'd faint at any moment. Sango was hers again and she couldn't be happier. This was all she wanted. Sango was all she needed to be happy.

The two broke the kiss begrudgingly with their lips still brushing as they fought for air.

"Sango, you don't know how happy I am," Kagome said with a bright smile and tears spilling from her eyes.

"I couldn't describe my happiness even if I had the vocabulary to," Sango confessed staring into the beautiful blue eyes she had missed so dearly. Everything was perfect. Nothing could ruin Sango's mood at the moment. Nothing.

"I love you," Kagome finally said the words she had been aching to say to the green eyed musician. Deep green eyes searched frosty blue for a few moments. The intensity of the stare made Kagome's heart pound mercilessly.

"I love you too," Sango finally said. "I love you too."

Sango smiled with Kagome and rested her head as she held Kagome close to her. Kagome's arms were wrapped around tight as well. They stood there together for a long while until Kagome's grandfather made his way downstairs. He looked at the two and blushed, not being able to find words to say.

"Hello there Sango," he finally said, causing the two of them to break apart. They held hands, however. Losing contact was the last thing they wanted to do- the feelings they were receiving from one another was exhilarating. Life had begun again.

"Good afternoon sir," Sango replied, remembering that the man had never really trusted her much.

"It's good to see you again," he said, disregarding her formality as he headed into the kitchen.

The two girls looked at each other and then began to laugh. Sango reached forward with her free hand and wiped the tears from Kagome's cheeks for she did not like seeing them there, even if they had been tears of joy. They sat down on the couch, getting comfortable quickly.

"I feel so stupid for leaving you," Sango confessed kissing Kagome's knuckles.

"It's alright. You had a right to. I hadn't been taking you for granted, but I know that I've learned a big lesson," Kagome whispered, thinking about how depressed she had been after losing Sango. "I really can't _live_ without you, Sango."

"My life was empty too, Kagome. Even my music career couldn't distract me from the holes."

"Don't ever leave me again," Kagome's voice quivered and it seemed as if she were asking a question.

Sango kissed her temple and promised, "I won't ever leave you."

"I promise to be faithful," Kagome continued, meaning that with all of her heart. "You're everything I need Sango. "

Sango smiled at this and sighed contently. Their moment was interrupted, however, by Sango's cell phone going off. She muttered something and answered it.

"Hello?" her voice didn't seem too pleased.

"_Sango, where are you?"_ it was Kikyo.

"I took a trip; what do you need?" Sango said in irritation. Her hand still held Kagome's, and she felt a gentle squeeze. She glanced over at Kagome receiving a look that told her she needed to take it easy.

"_What do you mean, 'What do I need?' We've got an interview with Retro Rock Magazine and you're not here."_

"Just do it without me," Sango smiled, wondering if Kikyo was getting totally pissed with her.

"_You can't be serious! Sango, you're the lead singer- these people don't give a rat's ass about what the bassist or drummer have to say. You and Hakudoshi are the ones they really want to interview. _You_ are the top priority. You need to get your ass here ASAP,"_ Kikyo vented.

"If I told you that no amount of money in the world could convince me to leave where I was, would you believe me?" the musician just couldn't keep the smile of her lips.

"_Are you drunk?"_ Kikyo whispered, sounding frantic.

"No, I'm not drunk," she chuckled her reply.

"_Look, could you please just get here. Rayne said you went out last night and never came back. She's a total mess,"_ Kikyo continued to whisper.

"Tell her I'm fine and I'll be back tomorrow or something," Sango brushed it off.

"_Sango; you don't have time to be back tomorrow! The interview is in a few minutes,"_ Kikyo sighed, feeling as if she was speaking and Sango just wasn't listening.

"Can't you just put me on speaker or something? Because there's no possible way I could be over there in a few minutes. I'm about five hours too far for that," Sango mumbled pulling her hand out of Kagome's. She wrapped her arm around Kagome's shoulder and sighed her contentment.

"_You traveled out of state?!"_ Kikyo exclaimed. Sango could just imagine Kikyo's dark and angry eyes and shivered at that.

"Yes, Kikyo. I traveled out of state. There was something I needed to do. Something really important," Sango sighed in a matter of fact way.

Sango pulled the phone away from her ear just in time to escape Kikyo's harsh decibels. Kagome could even hear the intelligible racket coming from the cellular device. She was suddenly amazed at how loud Kikyo could be.

"Let me talk to Rayne," Sango spoke into the phone's receiver like a walky-talky.

The racket abruptly stopped and Rayne's voice questioned, _"Sango?"_

"Hey Ray. Sorry about disappearing last night," Sango said, wanting to tell her everything.

"_You went to Kagome's, right?"_ Rayne asked.

"Yeah," Sango smiled.

"_That's great, Sango! But… I mean, we did have an interview today."_

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just couldn't wait any longer. I needed to see her and I needed to tell her how I felt."

"_That's alright. Kikyo's really angry though- I don't know what her deal is today,"_ Rayne mumbled. _"Must be on her period or something."_

Sango laughed and Rayne did as well.

"Could you handle that for me? Kikyo I mean. Tell her what's going on and whatnot. I promise to be back tomorrow; by noon at the latest," Sango negotiated. "Tell her to reschedule the interview for around two or so."

"_I'll try, but you know how she gets when she's-"_

_..._

"Hello?"

"_Sango, what the fuck is going?"_ it was Hakudoshi_. "I can't _believe_ you traveled out of state by yourself. Do you know how dangerous that is?"_

"I know, but something really important came up. Talk to Rayne, she knows what's going on. I'll talk to you later," Sango said before flipping her phone closed.

Sango heaved a sigh and then muttered, "Can't even travel out of state without being lectured about how dangerous it is for me."

"Well you're safe here," Kagome smiled, after having waited patiently for Sango to stop talking.

"I'm really sorry about that," Sango laughed lightly.

"It's alright. I suppose I'll have to get used to you being a hundred times busier. It'll be a big change, but I think I can handle it," Kagome turned her head and kissed Sango's jaw.

"Do you want me to…?" Sango started, but then decided for an alternate direction. "I can quit you know. I can settle down somewhere close to here and quit singing," Sango said, realizing that their rejuvenated relationship would now have even more stress of long distance than it did before. (2)

"I'd _never_ ask you to do that; no matter how much I missed you," Kagome mumbled.

"I'm saying this in all seriousness, Kagome. I don't want to mess up with you again. I see the problems started because I was _away_," Sango said calculatingly.

"That wasn't your fault, Sango. None of it was your fault- please don't try to take the blame," Kagome glanced down at her lap.

"Ok, ok. Please, just don't get all depressed about something that's in the past. We've got our whole future ahead of us, and I think that's enough to keep us smiling forever, don't you agree?" (3)

Kagome looked up into Sango's smiling face and couldn't keep the smile from her own lips. Her hand quickly found the back of Sango's head and pulled her down for a quick kiss. She realized Sango was right. Just the thought of being with Sango brought a smile to her lips easily.

* * *

1- Sango pregnant? haha, I hope none of you fell for that one. XD  
2- She loves her so much; she'd give up fame and fortune. How amazing is that? Long distance relationships don't seem that bad... I think that if you really tired, they could work. (Of course, that's just me being a hopeless romantic once again. lol, I need a life.) But really... wouldn't you agree... unless you've got trust issues and think your bf/gf is cheating on you. That could cause complications. I suppose you'd have to really trust that person... Omg, i'm ranting again. 0.o sorry about that. D;  
3- Sango's so sweet, ain't she? I can't wait until I find someone like her. heh heh

**Anyways; I've been having some serious writer's block lately. I have no clue what to do with this story now... I think I could write a chapter about Kagome going to watch one of Sango's shows, but then what after that!? ox0 Any suggestions? If not, that's ok- I'll eventually think of something lol. But anyways, that's something to think about if you want to add a little to the wonderful review that you're _going_ to write. ;D**

**Thanks for reading. Review Please!  
-Enigmatic Ethereality**


	10. Chapter 10: Pensive and Lost

**A/N: Sorry for not updating in so long... I've got my story all figured out now though! Thanks for the suggestions and support. Now i just have to figure out a way to motivate myself off my lazy ass and write. heh heh... anyways, here's the next chapter. The next update should be in a week or so.**

**Rated: Mature** for mature themes/situations, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha or any other copyrighted materials. Just the plot, Reiki, and Rayne.

* * *

**Chapter 10: Pensive and Lost**

Ms. Higurashi's brown eyes stared hard at Sango. Distrust flowed through them mercilessly and Kagome felt uneasy. She had had a hard time explaining to her mom why Sango was at their house and she obviously didn't take it so well. Kohaku was excited, like usual, and Souta was just happy for the extra company. Kagome's grandfather stared at Sango as well, still a bit hesitant to trust her.

Sango had somehow found a way to convince Ms. Higurashi to allow her to treat them that night and they went to a really expensive restaurant. The green eyed musician was calm and polite, doing nothing to make the adults question her any further. The one thing that she knew saw bothering the adults was having her hand on Kagome's at times. She couldn't help that, however, and she tried not to worry about it much.

"So," Ms. Higurashi started after Kohaku and Souta finished telling their story about how their teacher tripped on a book bag and broke her hip as she was telling the class about how dangerous it was to have their things in the aisle. "You and Kagome are together again."

Kagome blushed, irritated that her mother was trying to bring it up again after their long "discussion" back at home.

"Yes Ms. Higurashi," Sango smiled brightly, still barely able to contain her happiness. It all seemed so sudden and sporadic- their reunion. It hardly seemed real at all; but it was and she couldn't help but smile.

"How is this going to affect her studies? She's been working hard so she can graduate next year," she spoke really concerned about that subject.

"Well, not at all if she wants. I'd like her to spend spring break with me and then she'd be back in school. I'd visit every now and then like I usually do," Sango used her strictly business voice; it, like her statement, was to the point. "I assume she'll be taking summer classes."

"Yes, she will," Ms. Higurashi replied curtly.

"I'll stay out of her hair as much as possible."

"And the media?" the eldest asked suddenly.

Kagome's mother's interest suddenly peaked. This was something she hadn't thought of and was glad that it had been brought up.

"Hmm, I suppose it would be in her best interest to keep it from surfacing," Sango said more to herself. She felt the last thing Kagome needed was her crazy fans' harassment as well as the worst kind of harassment- harassment from reporters. "No one should know- for her safety," Sango finally concluded.

"Safety?" Souta spoke up.

"Well, the last thing you need is reporters crawling around town to stalk the source of the newest celebrity news," Sango said with a light laugh. "Those guys don't play when it comes to getting their big scoop. But, they don't bug Kohaku much, so she should be alright anyways."

"They don't bug me much because I'm just your little brother," Kohaku voiced, adding his own to the discussion. "For Kagome it would be a whole other level. She's your partner; a woman no less."

"They should care less about her being a woman. They knew Rayne and I were together and they only cared about that for a few months once our music became bigger than our relationship," Sango replied to her brother, shooting him a glare. He was _not_ helping her situation.

"Do they know that you and Rayne are no longer together?" Kagome asked, actually curious about that.

"I don't know, really. No one has said anything about it. I guess it's because Rayne and I are still really great friends. We still hang out a lot," Sango said. It was true really; she never went out without Rayne with her. They were an inseparable pair now.

"Do you still live together?" Kohaku asked.

Sango wanted to kill him.

"Yes," she replied curtly; her green eyes flashed dangerously. "She became my best friend and I intend for our friendship to stay strong. She won't be leaving until she feels the need to."

Sango's eyes quickly connected with Kagome's, hoping that what she just said didn't seem sketchy. She really meant what she had just said and she hoped Kagome could see it her way. She and Rayne really did become best friends and she'd be awful lonely without her around. But if Kagome had any problems with them living together, she'd move out.

"I'm ok with that," Kagome said, seeing that Sango was looking for approval. Sango smiled, appreciating Kagome's openness about the situation. She wondered if she would still be ok with it if she knew they were still sharing a bed.

Ms. Higurashi made a face, feeling as if the musician were only taking advantage of her daughter.

"Maybe you and Rayne should pretend to be dating, to keep Kagome safe," Souta pondered aloud.

"That's a horrible idea," Kagome's grandfather said. "Wouldn't that require an intense amount of acting?"

"Sango's a great actress," Kagome offered, remembering how she had her thinking that she was pregnant earlier that day.

"I think that hiding this is the wrong way to go about it," Ms. Higurashi said, fed up with where the conversation was going. "If you're with my daughter, then you are with her and the whole world should know it. The press will find out sooner or later because you'll slip up. You'll take a trip too many back home to 'see your brother'," she said looking at Sango. "They'll see you two together somewhere, holding hands." Sango immediately pulled her hand away from Kagome's grudgingly. "You'd be too wrapped up in each other to notice the danger all around you. Oblivious to the fact that other people were starting to notice to looks you send to each other."

"So you think that we should just get it over with," Kagome asked. She was surprised that her mother had even proposed the idea.

"Yes, just get it out of the way. Perhaps we're just blowing it all out of proportion," Ms. Higurashi decided.

"Well then it's settled," Kagome agreed with a look of apprehension in her eyes.

* * *

"No fucking way!" Rin exclaimed, hugging Kagome close after she finished telling her about what happened the day before. "I'm _so_ happy for you!"

Kagome could only smile and think about how happy she was herself. She finally had what she had wanted for the longest time. Her smile faltered, however, when she spotted a devious smirk on Rin's lips.

"So, I clearly remember a heartbroken Kagome all crumpled up on her bed crying about how hope would get her nowhere just a little under a year ago," Rin smirked. Kagome remembered too, and thinking about how much she had been hurting made her chest ache just a little. Or maybe it was the fact that Rin had ended up being right.

"Rin, you have to excuse that part. I was clearly hallucinating- I hadn't eaten for days and the heartbreak was making me crazy," Kagome said in mock seriousness.

"Pah, hallucinating?" Rin scoffed and she took her socks off and tossed them across the room, onto her bunk.

"It's really amazing. If I seriously asked myself if I thought I'd ever get Sango back when I was that broken mess that while ago," Kagome didn't finish what she was saying. She seemed lost in thought- lost in memories. A knocking on the door retrieved her from her mental reverie. She stood, knowing who it was, and opened the door. Reiki stood before her, looking slightly confused. Kagome didn't invite her over often.

"Hey Rei," she smiled at the younger girl. Reiki smiled back and entered the room hesitantly.

"Hey Kagome," she said before spotting Rin. "Hey Rin."

"What's up," Rin drawled noisily. Kagome shot her a questioning look and Reiki laughed a little.

"So, what's the occasion?" Reiki asked, wondering why she was asked to come here. Maybe Kagome had noticed that she was trying to avoid her just a little. See that tiny bit less of her during the week.

"I've got some good news," Kagome smiled brightly.

Reiki looked even more confused. Not once in her life had she ever seen Kagome smile so brightly. The way her ice blue eyes lit up surprised her. It was as if the sun were shining through beautiful blue glacier ice. What could cause Kagome such happiness?

"Sango and I are together again."

Reiki didn't reply at first. The ache in her chest had come strongly and suddenly. Her holding onto the shred of a possibility that she could be with Kagome had suddenly ended. There wasn't a chance in the world now. Feeling as she should say something, as to not look to suspicious she tried, but words didn't exit.

"I, um… I forgot to call Sesshoumaru!" Rin suddenly exclaimed, noticing that her presence wasn't needed there. She got off of Kagome's bed and grabbed her cell phone, quickly slipping out of the room.

Kagome walked over to her bed, troubled. Taking a seat she looked up at Reiki expectantly.

"Do you want to sit down?" Kagome asked with concern laced in her voice.

"I… ah, yeah," Reiki suddenly sat in the chair beneath Rin's bunk. The furthest seat from Kagome possible in the room. She cast her eyes towards the window, trying to will herself to say something- anything. Suddenly she swallowed hard and smiled lightly.

"You know… I'm happy for you," her smile brightened characteristically.

"Rei…"

"I know it looks like I'm not happy, but I am. I'm just surprised; it just came out of nowhere," Reiki confessed looking over at Kagome. Despite the fact that her eyes were cast in a shadow of worry, Reiki could see the underlay of unbridled joy. There was no way she couldn't be happy for her friend after seeing that happiness grow in her.

"So you're ok?" Kagome asked carefully.

"Yes, Kagome; I'm fine."

"Well that's good," Kagome couldn't help but smile. "Are you heading over to the library tonight?"

Reiki immediately shook her head, answering that question.

"No, I think I'll just head to my dorm after class," she once again was looking out of the window.

"Oh," Kagome was a little put down by this. She hadn't really seen Reiki much as of late and was hoping that they'd get a chance to hang out. The previous week they had only studied together once, and that was when they ended up talking about how Kagome and Sango had met. "How'd your trip home go?"

"Alright I guess. It was really boring. My dad's not much for conversation; but I could tell he enjoyed my company," Reiki sighed. "He's really lonely… I'm contemplating ditching the living at school thing and just staying at home. Though that'd mean that'd we'd have to buy another car."

"That's really sweet of you Reiki," Kagome said with true admiration in her voice.

"Maybe, but not if you look at it the way I am," Reiki shrugged. In her mind, the only thing she was thinking of was just the fact that she herself was lonely alone in her dorm. And she knew she'd never get over her heartache if she was around Kagome as much as she was now. The alleviation of her father's loneliness was an added bonus that she'd readily take.

"Anyways, enough about my boring old dad," Reiki laughed. "How exactly did you and Sango get back together? I hope you weren't thinking of getting out of telling me that."

"It was so random!" Kagome laughed lightly. "She just popped up out of nowhere at my house and..."

* * *

"Wow, so she and Reiki were never dating?" Rayne asked curiously.

"No… It was strange to hear, but I had no complaints," Sango answered as she turned the TV off.

"Of course you wouldn't," Rayne smirked. "So Reiki's single now?"

Sango looked up to see Rayne waggle her eyebrows.

"Rayne, you'd kill the poor girl with your sex drive," Sango laughed. Rayne hit her lightly, but laughed as well because she agreed.

"So, Kagome's ok with us living together?" Rayne asked as she stood, glancing at the clock on the wall across from the couch.

"Yeah," Sango smiled. "I'm not getting rid of you yet."

"Well I guess that's comforting," Rayne reached down and grabbed Sango's hand, pulling her up. "We can't be late for this interview or Kikyo will get really upset again."

"You're right," Sango sighed. She had never been a fan of interviews. They were just things the press used to get your business out on the street. She just hoped that their interviewer would focus on questions about their upcoming tour.

The two left the apartment, heading for the office where the interview was scheduled to take place. Sango was driving and Rayne was silently gazing out of the window. It was obvious there was a lot on her mind.

"Sango… we can't sleep in the same bed anymore," she said out of the blue.

"Huh? Why not?"

"Well, I mean… it wouldn't feel right, ya know? It was ok when you were single, but now… now it seems wrong."

"But Rayne, it's not like we're doing anything wrong. Kagome trusts me enough to let you live with me, so why can't we sleep together in the privacy of our home. Plus I'd never get any sleep without you there."

"Sango, how can that not feel wrong to you?"

Sango sighed and then shrugged. "You're my best friend Ray. It couldn't possibly feel wrong. But, I mean, if you don't want to… You've got every right not to. I could buy another bed and make the bonus room into a bedroom for you."

Rayne suddenly felt bad. She didn't reply and Sango didn't pressure her. They were nearing the office building and she apologized with a hesitant, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok… I understand where you're coming from," Sango smiled. Nothing could bring her down. Nothing.

"Really, I just realized how stupid I was being," Rayne said. "Hey, I forgot to ask! How'd last night go anyways? After you two got home?"

Sango blushed, knowing what Rayne was thinking.

"Well, it was alright. Her mom was watching us like a hawk and it was kind of annoying. She kept popping into her room unexpectedly. We took that as a hint not to do anything," Sango sounded bitter. "But that wasn't going to keep me from kissing her," Sango smiled, her eyes were gleaming mischievously.

"Sango, you dog," Rayne joked.

Sango laughed and then concluded, "Best sleep I've had in forever though."

"It must be nice to be all wrapped up in your lover like that," Rayne smiled as Sango pulled the car up to the front of the building.

The two soon entered the office where they'd all be seated comfortably for the interview. Kikyo was pacing around, looking void of emotion like usual. Hakudoshi sat with a morose look on his face, which was the norm. Kikyo noticed how the room brightened considerably when Sango walked in. She realized 

that Sango was radiantly happy and it lightened her irate mood to see this. She was truly happy for Sango who had rediscovered true love.

Sango walked up to her; her green eyes were gleaming and her brown hair was shimmering. The smile that sat on her lips was one of a content woman. Kikyo lifted an eyebrow questionably. Sango suddenly pulled her into a hug.

"Kikyo; thanks for understanding about yesterday," Sango said with a huge sigh. Kikyo made a strange face at Sango who couldn't see it and Rayne saw this. The blue eyed drummer laughed at this, having never seen Kikyo make the face she had.

"Yeah," Kikyo said for lack of better words as she pushed Sango off of her. "Congratulations."

"Thanks," Sango beamed before bouncing off towards Hakudoshi. She pulled him into a hug and he looked pleased.

"I heard you struck luck with love; I'm happy for you," he smiled a genuine smile.

"Thanks," Sango repeated again before letting go of him and heading over to where Rayne had taken a seat. Just as she sat, an interviewer from Retro Rock Magazine entered the room with a smile on his lips.

"Welcome Kirara! It's good to see you all here today," he spoke, looking excited. "I'm Robert."

"I'm really sorry about yesterday," Sango laughed gently.

"Oh, it's alright," the interviewer said, motioning for Kikyo and Hukodoshi to sit with Sango and Rayne.

The interview started flowingly. Robert focused mainly on questions about the band and how they were doing. He asked if they were working on new songs and if they felt prepared for the tour. After getting those specifics done, he started asking Sango a few personal questions, which the band had figured he would ask. He asked about the guitar collection of her dad's that she had- whether she'd be selling any of the guitars or performing with them.

"There are a few I like that he had," Sango answered truthfully. "I might try those out and see if they can still give a decent sound."

"Will you be donating the famed Hiraikotsu to a museum?" the interviewer asked about her father's most famed guitar.

"Well, that's actually one of the ones I plan on trying out. Sometimes, when he was drunk and actually at home with my brother and me, he'd teach me how to play a little on that particular guitar. I don't think I want to give that one away," Sango answered with a strange emotion in her eyes. It seemed like a mixture of resentment and hesitant appreciation. Rayne rested her hand lightly on Sango's hoping to show her support. Sango looked over and smiled slightly. Robert's eyes were suddenly glued to their hands.

"So, word on the street is that you and Rayne have been having a lot of fun together," Robert started. "How's your relationship fairing."

Sango tensed at this question but Rayne spoke up easily.

"We've broken up," Rayne said with a nod.

"Really?!" Robert looked astonished. "For how long?" This was the scoop of the month! How lucky of him and Retro Rock to be publishing this information. He couldn't hide his excitement.

"About two weeks," Sango spoke up. The man picked up the small notebook next to his tape recorder and scribbled a few words down.

"So then why all the publicity?" he asked.

"Well, we're still best friends; we still hang out and have fun together," Sango looked a little irritated.

"What happened between the two of you?" he asked. Rayne looked a little pissed with this particular question. She felt it was a little rude of him to be asking this.

"Nothing," Sango shrugged. "We just split up."

He didn't look satisfied with the answer but left it alone after noticing the looked Rayne had been shooting his way. Her dark blue eyes were quite menacing at times.

"So, um," he cleared his throat. "Now that the two of your are single-"

"Actually, I'm not single," Sango said, not being able to keep the smile from her lips. He scribbled more on his notepad and adjusted his tape recorder a little more.

"Really? Who's the lucky lady?" Robert looked genuinely interested.

"Someone everyone should probably already know," Sango answered, really thinking about it. Her fans should've known Kagome if they had learned about her history. "She'll be at the third stop of our tour. I'll introduce her to everyone then." Robert looked amazingly pleased with this information. Kikyo did as well. This article should be published in the magazine shortly. Ticket sales for that venue should be sold out by the end of the week.

"So what about you, Rayne? Anyone you fancy?" he asked the blonde. Her blue eyes looked pensive but then she shrugged.

"I'll tell you if anyone catches my eye," she laughed.

"Any chance of you and Hakudoshi starting a little thing?" Robert dared to ask.

"Burn in hell," Rayne replied to that. Hakudoshi laughed, agreeing wholeheartedly. No way would he be able to put up with Rayne.

Robert asked a few more questions directed at Hakudoshi and Kikyo for fairness' sake and then departed after thanking the band.

"Rayne, you are just too much," Hakudoshi laughed as they left the office building together.

"What?" Rayne asked, seemingly distracted by her thoughts.

"'Burn in hell'," he mocked laughing again.

Rayne smirked and said, "But you agree, don't you?" The two laughed together and Kikyo smiled. Their band actually seemed more like a band today and a sudden impulse to do "friend-like" things came over her.

"You guys wouldn't want to go to the mall today or something, would you?" she asked as they headed towards the parking lot. Soon, the only footsteps she heard were her own and she stopped and looked back to find her band mates staring at her with an amazed expression.

"What?" her brown eyes were hard and steady.

"Whoa, wait," Hakudoshi said, snapping out of his stupor. "Wait, wait, wait," he continued. "Did you seriously just ask us if we wanted to go to the mall?"

"Grow up," she muttered at him before crossing her arms across her chest. "I was merely inquiring if we could all spend time together as a group. I think it's about that time we discussed the arrangements of our traveling and whatnot. Why not relax while doing it?"

Sango quickly stepped forward and smiled, "Kikyo's right. I'm awful curious about how we're traveling."

"Well then it's settled," Hakudoshi said, actually pretty excited about this. Sango and Rayne were a blast to hang out with, and Kikyo's dry, cynical humor was insanely funny. "Meet up at the studio at three?" he asked checking his watch. It read a few minutes past one thirty.

"Sounds like a plan!" Rayne smiled as she grabbed Sango's hand and pulled her along to the car.

"Excited?" Sango asked, wondering about Rayne's sudden energy.

"God, yes. Anything to take my mind off things," she laughed.

"Things?" the green eyed musician asked curiously. She had seen the pensive look Rayne had been wearing all day and the days before she left to see Kagome.

Rayne blushed and looked away. "Oh shit," she whispered, realizing that it was too late.

"Rayne, is there something you want to talk about?"

"I don't know if I should," Rayne mumbled keeping her eyes trained to the window. She wasn't expecting Sango to give her a break. She was just trying to prepare herself to say it. She was ridiculously embarrassed about it.

"Rayne, come on; when did we start hiding things from each other?" Sango felt genuinely hurt. There were best friends, right? They never kept things from each other.

"Well, I mean. It's embarrassing and I don't even _know_ her," Rayne stuttered her start.

"You didn't have thoughtless sex with some stranger did you?" Sango asked with concern.

"Sango, no. That's just… well, I mean. I wouldn't do that," Rayne pouted, mad that Sango would say such a thing.

"Puh-lease!" Sango laughed. "Remember that time we went to that club and I caught you with your hand in that stripper's pants."

"Sango, come on. I was drunk; plus I _really did thin_k I was helping her fish money out," Rayne laughed.

"Yeah, and the hickeys on her breasts were fish bait," Sango scoffed.

Still laughing Rayne snickered, "Ah, well her breasts were nothing compared to yours if that's any consolation."

"Rayne, you can't distract me," Sango said laughing.

"Aw crap," Rayne pouted once more. "Well, I've kinda got this crush on someone," she blurted.

"For real?" Sango was suddenly excited.

"Yeah," Rayne said with a pleasant smirk.

"Well that's-"

She was cut off by her cell phone ringing. By the ringtone, she knew it was Kagome and gave an apologetic look which Rayne brushed off. The blue eyed drummer look out of the window and Sango sighed. She flipped her phone open with a smile, however.

"Hey babe," she said with a smile.

"_Hey Sango. How was your interview?"_ Kagome asked.

"It was alright. The interviewer was trying to get into our personal life though," Sango mumbled. Rayne grunted her agreement. His questions had been slipping into the rude side when it came to romantic relationships.

"_Really? Did you tell him about us?"_ Kagome was curious.

"Kind of… I told him that my mystery girlfriend would be at the third stop of our tour and I'd introduce her to the fans."

"_Wait… 'Introduce me'? As in I go on stage with your band in front of hundreds of people?"_

"Well… yeah," Sango said with a nonchalant attitude.

"_Sango… I couldn't possibly do that… I think I'd faint."_

"I'd be right there with you," Sango tried.

"_Sango, I don't know about that… I really think that I'd be nervous enough to faint and the last thing I want is to faint,"_ Kagome mumbled.

Sango sighed but left it at that. She didn't really care much about that. As long as Kagome was there to see her. That's all she cared about.

"So, how was class this morning?"

"_It was alright. Boring somewhat. After class I told Rin and Reiki about us." _Sango could hear the smile in Kagome's voice.

"Really?"

"_Yeah. Rin was excited about it and wasted no time rubbing it in my face that she was right about us getting back together and Reiki… Reiki's been acting odd,"_ Kagome sounded a little downtrodden.

"Odd? How so?"

"_Well, she's obviously down in the dumps about the whole situation. She been trying her best to be supportive of me and be happy for me but I can just see how much it's hurting her."_

"I'd be feeling down too if she had you and I didn't," Sango replied.

Kagome smiled and continued, _"Really though Sango. She's been quieter and she even turned down a study date. Reiki's been so… pensive lately."_

That sounded an awful lot like how Rayne had been acting. Sango glanced to her right, finding that same look on Rayne's face. She could see by her blue eyes that she was lost in thought.

"Rayne's been the same way actually," Sango mumbled. "She's sitting right next to me and hasn't realized I'm talking about her because she's so deep in her thoughts."

"_Really? How strange,"_ Kagome mumbled before putting the two together in sudden realization. _"Hey, do you think there is any way I can get another ticket for the tour?"_

"Huh? Yeah… I guess; what for?" Sango was a little distracted as she turned into her parking lot.

"_I want to bring Reiki along,"_ Kagome said softly.

"You want to bring Reiki?" Sango repeated what she said as a question. Rayne's attention was suddenly brought back from the deep fissures of her mind.

"Reiki's coming?" Rayne asked, startling Sango.

"_Yeah; that way she can't avoid me and we can really talk about what's bugging her. Plus I think that it might be a good idea for Reiki and Rayne to talk to each other because it seems like they're going through the same stuff and perhaps are thinking the same things,"_ Kagome explained.

"Oh… that seems like a good idea. I'll send another ticket in the mail," Sango smiled.

"_Thanks Sango. I'll call you later tonight once I'm done looking over my notes for class,"_ Kagome finished.

"Alright," Sango smiled. "I love you."

"_I love you too, Sango. And I miss you."_

The phone call ended. Sighing, Sango tossed her phone in the cup holder and parked the car.

"Reiki's coming with Kagome?" Rayne pestered her.

"Well, we're trying to get her to come. She might not accept."

"Sweet!" Rayne exclaimed, suddenly herself again. "She's so cute, Sango."

Sango smiled at Rayne, finally understanding what Kagome was really up to. Kagome was very observant, so she must've noticed how taken with Reiki Rayne was. Would Reiki be willing to move on? Maybe Kagome felt her friend was ready to… Sango could only hope that a happy couple would arise from their best friends.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Review please  
-Enigmatic Ethereality**


	11. Chapter 11: Bitter

**A/N: Well, I suppose this is the official return from my hiatus. I guess a weekend away from home was all I needed. I'm refreshed and ready to focus on writing... _however_ I do have summer assignments to do for school (and I _have_ to finish Breaking Dawn) so the next update might be a little late. Anyways, I'm back and here's the new chapter... Sorry if it's boring or whatever.**

**Rated: Mature** for mature themes/situations, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha or any other copyrighted materials. Just the plot, Reiki, and Rayne.

* * *

**Chapter 11: Bitter**

Kagome stood at her window, watching the sunset quickly in the sky. It was late in the evening and the sky was painted in a wonderful hue of reds, purples, and oranges. Seeing the sunset reminded her of when she went on a trip with Sango to the local rock quarry when they were in high school. It had been their first official date and Kagome was surprised because she had been living in that city for all of her life and she never knew the quarry existed. It was an amazing place. It didn't even look like they were in the same city.

The high walls of the quarry, steep and rocky, were dyed an amazing sunset color. The water was obviously very deep and cold. It was dark and frightening, but that made it all the more mysterious and beautiful. They had stood at the top of the quarry, looking down into it. Kagome was amazed, but a bit hesitant because she was afraid of heights. Sango had held her close to her with her arms wrapped around her waist and her chin on her head. (1)

"_Sango, this is so amazing," Kagome whispered quietly as if a voice any louder would break the sunset they were watching together._

"_Kohaku and I discovered it one Saturday when we were bored and idle. Kaede told us to get out of the house because she was so fed up of us just sitting around doing nothing but playing video games," she chuckled quietly._

"_It's beautiful… but isn't it considered trespassing for us to be here?"_

_Sango scoffed, "Trespassing my ass. As if they'd arrest _me_ for being here."_

_Kagome rolled her eyes at this, but didn't say anything. That's just how Sango was at times and she realized that she kind of liked it. Sango let go of her, much to her disappointment, and stepped backwards a few feet._

"_Let me take a picture of you," she requested with a shy smile after fishing her camera out of her backpack._

_Kagome nodded, feeling a bit vulnerable without Sango's arms around her._

_Sango took it quickly and Kagome smiled at her, stepping forward._

"_You're so beautiful," Sango said, and Kagome blushed. Sango had been spoiling her so much within a few days._

"_You are too," Kagome replied, pulling Sango close to her and resting her head on her chest. She was glad that she'd never forget how Sango looked standing there taking her picture with the colors of the sunset gleaming on her skin._

"_Let's go while the sun's still up," Sango said with a smile. Kagome nodded her consent and Sango took her hand, leading them back through the thick forest._

Kagome woke up; startled she had fallen asleep next to the window; standing up no less. That was insanely strange.

Pushing that thought away, she realized that the sun was completely gone and the dark of night had swept away the plethora of colors leaving in its wake a calming, dark atmosphere. Heading into her room she looked down at the sleeping form of Reiki. The girl had showed up that Saturday morning announcing that she wanted to go to a club that night. It took so serious convincing on her part, but she soon got Kagome to cave. The blue eyed scholar just found it a tad bit suspicious.

"_Wait, you want to go clubbing tonight? What for?" Kagome asked, flopping back onto the couch._

"_Well… I figure I'll be single forever if I didn't do something about it myself," Reiki blushed and seemed determined to look everywhere except Kagome's eyes._

"_Rei… I don't really know about going to a club. I mean I haven't been in a while for a reason."_

"_I know, but I just want this favor from you. Please," her green eyes hitched onto Kagome's blue and Kagome flinched. Reiki's eyes were pleading so hard it scared her. Kagome didn't answer for a while, getting lost in the argument going on in her head. She'd changed so much from how she used to be. Just by thinking about stepping foot into a club made her feel like she was cheating._

"_I'm sorry Reiki… I need to call Sango."_

_Reiki didn't reply, but sighed and shut her eyes._

_Kagome used the house phone to call Sango. She felt as if she had scared herself into thinking that anything she did would cause Sango to break up with her. She was about to ask for _permission_ to go to the club with Reiki later. How… whipped was she?_

"_Hey babe," Sango said as she answered the phone. "Can you make it quick- we were having an early band practice."_

"_Yeah, it'll be quick," Kagome smiled, just loving the fact that Sango was a musician. That was so attractive to her._

"_I was wondering if I could go to the club tonight with Reiki," Kagome asked quickly, as if in one breath. She felt stupid for asking really. What would Sango think of this question?_

"_Kagome… You don't have to ask for my permission for that," Sango mumbled, with embarrassment saturating her voice. "If you're just going to have fun with a friend, then go have fun. Don't let thinking about me stop that."_

"_I'm sorry," Kagome muttered, realizing that she had interrupted their practice for something so trivial. But when she had first thought about it, it didn't seem trivial at all. "It just wouldn't feel right without you knowing and… saying that it was ok."_

"_Ah, well that was thoughtful of you," Sango paused for a moment. "What time do you guys plan on going?"_

"_We plan on leaving around ten thirty or so," Kagome guessed, glancing over at Reiki whose lovely smile was hidden quite nicely._

"_Maybe Rayne and I can drive down there and-"_

_Kagome heard familiar berating sounds coming from the phone. She figured Kikyo had heard what Sango was planning and had voiced her opinion._

"_Ah, I'll call you back later. Kikyo's getting bitchy," Sango mumbled the last part._

"_Ok; bye Sango."_

Peeking her head into her room she found that Reiki was wrapped up comfortably in her bed, resting before their fun night planned. Kagome wanted to help her friend find someone as best as she could. Reiki didn't deserve to be alone. No one deserved to be alone. With a silent sigh the raven haired scholar shut the door quietly as to not awaken her companion.

She headed downstairs and into the kitchen in hopes of finding something to eat. She decided on a sandwich after examining the pantry and refrigerator. Perhaps she should make one for Reiki was well. Busying herself with that she wondered how much taking Reiki to the club that night would put a damper on her matchmaking plan. If Reiki did meet someone she thought she'd like, the idea of getting her interested in Rayne was thrown out of the window. But maybe that was for the best. Who knew if Reiki and Rayne would hit it off right away anyways and seeing as Kagome and Reiki would only be going on the tour for three stops. That's if Reiki even said that she'd want to go. Everything was just going to happen by mere chance.

Getting the juice out of the fridge, Kagome pouted momentarily. She just really wanted Reiki to be happy. Would Rayne even be a suitable choice for her? From what the newspapers and magazines said, she was a loose cannon. Wild and unpredictable; one could only expect the unexpected from her. Reiki didn't seem like the kind of girl who would enjoy that. Not every beast could be tamed.

And suddenly, Kagome laughed, realizing she had just compared Rayne to a beast. How ridiculous. Rayne didn't seem _that_ bad.

Smiling at her stupid thoughts, Kagome headed upstairs to tell Reiki she had made her a sandwich. Pushing the door open, she flipped the light on surprised to find Sango in her room bent over her bed.

"W-what's going on?" Kagome felt ill. Sango quickly stood with an astonished look on her face, which had suddenly lost color. Her hand immediately went to her mouth and her eyes widened. Reiki sat up with her mouth parted in surprise because Sango had just been kissing her.

* * *

Sango pulled up to Kagome's house with a sigh. It had been one hell of a morning. Kikyo just wouldn't let her leave without an altercation. Rayne was sleeping soundly in the passenger seat. She always had the habit of falling asleep on long car trips. Sango found it kind of cute.

Getting out of the car, after deciding to leave Rayne alone, she headed to the front door of the Higurashi household to at least tell Kagome they had arrived. The front door was open, so she let herself in. She felt it a little dangerous for the family for them to leave the door open so late- but Sango observed that Kagome's car was the only one in the driveway. The other family members had probably gone out.

She found the light on in the kitchen, but paid no mind to that because there was no one there. She failed to notice the door to the pantry was open. She silently climbed the stairs into a dark hallway. There were no lights on upstairs. Sango entered Kagome's room squinting into the dark. There was a figure wrapped up in the bed. The light coming from the window was barely there.

Sneaking closer to the bed, Sango decided that a kiss is what Kagome would love to wake up to. She left her hand gently rest on the younger girl's cheek to help her guide her lips. Reiki mumbled and Sango kept a snicker back. Carefully, she pressed her lips against hers. It took a few moments before the other girl responded, kissing back slowly.

The lights suddenly turned on and Sango pulled out of the kiss quickly. Her eyes widened at the sight of Reiki lying there in the bed looking astonished as well. She felt the color drain from her face and she brought her fingers to her lips. She turned to see Kagome standing in the doorway looking horrified.

Reiki sat up and for a moment didn't speak.

"What the hell?" Reiki exclaimed, looking at Sango.

"I... I thought," Sango blanched even more if possible and ran into Kagome's bathroom. The two college students heard her wretch violently and Reiki cringed. Was kissing her _that_ terrible? It was just a little accident anyways.

Kagome, despite the fact she was absolutely surprised, headed into the bathroom to aid Sango. Her girlfriend stood in front of the sink on obviously weak legs. Kagome could tell she would fall over at any moment so she loosely wrapped an arm around Sango's waste. Sango instantly started to stutter.

"I thought that she was you," she quickly said as tears descended down her cheeks. "I didn't know. I'm so sorry."

Kagome felt her heart wretch because of Sango's tears. She new Sango, of all people, would never cheat on her. Sango just got _sick_ because she merely kissed another girl.

"It's ok Sango," she whispered soothingly, rubbing the older girl's back.

"I'm sorry," Sango mumbled as she wiped tears from her eyes. "I wanted to surprise you. Instead I…"

"Oh, you surprised me," Kagome chanced a smirk and Sango looked up at her through the mirror. Her eyes were still watering.

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be? It was just a little accident. You'd never kiss someone else on purpose," Kagome said with conviction. Sango chanced a smile at this, the color slowly returning to her cheeks.

"God, Kagome I… I'm really sorry," she repeated before starting to wash her mouth out. She easily found the mouthwash, having known where everything was in the bathroom already. "Can you go wake Ray up? She's in the car."

"Sure," Kagome said, hesitant to leave Sango by herself, but she knew that she also wanted to apologize to Reiki and wouldn't do that with her around. When Kagome got out to the car, Rayne was obviously not sleeping. She sat in the front seat with a pondering expression on and was startled when Kagome tapped on the glass of her window. The raven haired scholar stepped back so the drummer could open the door and step out.

"Hey Rayne," Kagome smiled. "It's nice to see you again."

"You too," Rayne replied with a slight nod. The taller girl looked down at Kagome with scrutinizing eyes making her feel quite awkward. Kagome wondered why Rayne was looking at her the way she was.

"You've got very nice hair," the taller girl finally concluded before digging into her pocket for something.

Kagome blushed and muttered a quiet, "Thank you."

Rayne's hair was impressive as well. Long and blonde with a range of multicolored streaks dyed in. She had random braids in there too, Kagome observed after getting a closer look. She was dressed very much like Sango with low riding cargo pants and a tight fitting shirt.

"So what's Sango up to anyways? She left me in the car for like ten minutes," Rayne forgot what she was looking for and crossed her arms beneath her breasts.

"Ah, well Sango sent me out to get you while she apologized to Reiki," Kagome replied, motioning for Rayne to follow her into the house.

"Apologize? For what? Snatching you away?" she laughed and Kagome found her dry humor a tab bit lightening.

"Well, she accidentally kissed Reiki," Kagome started to explain.

"She what?!" Rayne's mouth fell open in surprise. "And you're not mad? How the hell..."

"It was an accident. You know Sango could never cheat on anyone," Kagome laughed at Rayne's expression.

"You're right about that. She probably had a nervous breakdown or something."

Kagome smiled. She never knew Rayne could be so funny.

"Pretty much," Kagome sighed. "She got really pale and puked."

"On Reiki?!"

"No!" Kagome laughed at the absurdity. That would've been terribly disgusting.

"You seriously think I would puke on someone?" Sango asked in slight annoyance as she and Reiki advanced down the steps.

"Well yeah. I've puked on you, haven't I?" Rayne said indifferently and Sango blushed.

"That's because you were drunk off your ass," Sango countered, looking disgruntled.

Reiki giggled and from that moment, Rayne's eyes were glued on the short girl. Kagome and Sango exchanged knowing looks and smiled at each other.

"Hey, Reiki, what time did you want to get to that club?" Sango asked as she pulled Kagome's fingers into her hand.

"Oh, I don't care," Reiki replied, blushing as her eyes met Sango's.

"Hmm, that's great," Sango said softly as her eyes connected with Kagome's. The blue eyed scholar could read the absolute love and wanting in her girlfriend's dark green depths and fought back a shiver.

"Ew, I feel sexual vibes suddenly pouring off of you two," Rayne frowned deeply before smirking knowingly. Reiki giggled in response to that and the two lovers seemed to hardly acknowledge them besides Sango rolling her eyes before pressing her lips against Kagome's gently. The blue eyed scholar's heart began to pound terribly hard and she pulled away and rested her hand against her chest.

"You don't know what you do to me," Sango whispered against Kagome's ear.

"I've got to get dressed," Kagome stumbled on her words. She knew if she wasn't careful, they'd end up in bed that night and she certainly didn't want to rush that in any way.

"Running away?" Sango cocked and eyebrow upward and Kagome smiled a little before gifting her girlfriend with a gingerly peck.

"No," she smiled cutely before dashing off. Sango had the terrible impulse to chase after her. Rayne and she used to play around like that a bunch. It was all so cute… but she wasn't too sure of Kagome would like that. She probably would, but she did seem serious about actually getting dressed and not wanting to fool around even a little. Sango was a little put down by that. Was Kagome not as excited as she was about seeing her again and being with her?

"So is Reiki a good kisser?" Rayne asked after seeing the look Sango's face had adopted.

Sango momentarily pushed her slightly depressing thoughts out of the way and a lopsided smirk came to her lips.

"A damn good kisser," Sango smirked and Reiki blushed, trying to be comfortable with the two.

"Ah, really?" Rayne asked, looking thoughtful. "Will I get a chance to kiss you?"

Reiki looked up, laughing a little with Sango. However, when she met Rayne's deep blue eyes, she found that the older woman was not joking in her musing. She was being dead serious and was even awaiting an answer. The green eyed girl's blush intensified and she struggled to find an answer.

"I don't know," she said, before continuing, "probably not."

Rayne pouted and Sango laughed at her.

"Why not?" Rayne whined causing Reiki to laugh again. The blue eyed drummer only wanted the younger girl to be comfortable.

"I don't want my next kiss to be another mistake."

The room caught a strange atmosphere and Sango coughed uncomfortably. The two older women sensed that there was certainly more to that sentence than Sango's earlier mistake. Perhaps it was Kagome Reiki was talking about. Perhaps it was something before. Reiki sighed and Sango went into action after seeing her bleak expression.

"You know, I apologized for that," she joked and Reiki chanced a smile. Rayne merely frowned before crossing her arms across her body once more. Doing that made her feel a bit more comfortable as she shifted away from the two women she was talking to. It was then in that instance that she realized Reiki had shot her down without even a second thought.

"Fuck, I've got no chance," she mumbled to herself, easily feeling rejection. The other two looked up at her after hearing her mutter something they couldn't hear. Sango instantly recognized the look on Rayne's face and sighed.

"Excuse us for a moment," she said to Reiki as she dragged Rayne into the kitchen.

"What's with the look?" Sango asked before crossing her arms.

"What look?" Rayne narrowed her eyes.

"That look earlier. After Reiki-"

"Fucking turned me down without hesitation?"

Sango pursed her lips and gave Rayne a berating look as her eyes darkened. Sudden realization hit her after her best friend's spiteful interruption. She should've realized after how excited Rayne had been when she had found out that they were trying to get Reiki to come with Kagome on the tour. Reiki was the girl that Rayne had a crush on!

"You like her… she's the one you were talking about that day in the car."

Rayne blushed and muttered to herself. She wanted to deny it, but what was the point of lying. That wouldn't help her get what she wanted. That wouldn't help her get anything.

"Look, Sango. Just drop it, ok? I don't want to talk about it. I don't even want to think about it. I want to go to this club, get drunk, make a fool of myself, and then get back home to my drums after I'd slept off my terrible hangover."

Sango rolled her eyes and sighed, "You are so ridiculous. Haven't you learned that drinking only makes things seem worse?"

"What right do you have to tell me that Ms. Smoke When I'm Stressed?" Rayne bit back. "And for your fucking information, I happen to know that alcohol is a depressant. I'm not _retarded_."

Sango looked at Rayne wanting to say things she'd regret later. She bit her tongue and kept it in. Their bickering would evolve into something stupid if they weren't careful. Sighing Sango shrugged and left the kitchen to give Rayne her space. She sat a bit uncomfortably in silence with Reiki because she was upset about what just happened. Why were the two of them so bitter and mood killing?

Kagome ventured downstairs and immediately sensed the bad atmosphere. She sat next to Sango, noticing that Rayne wasn't with them.

"What's going on?" Kagome asked as she laced her fingers with Sango's.

"Some strange shit," Sango sighed. "And now Rayne is in a bitchy mood."

Kagome frowned at this, "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later," Sango mumbled. "Ready to go?"

Reiki looked up once realizing that Sango was talking to the both of them. The two nodded simultaneously and Sango chuckled.

"I'll go get Rayne then," she said, releasing Kagome's hand and standing up. Sango walked into the kitchen to find Rayne sitting in there with her head in her arms. The blue eyed drummer looked up when hearing Sango enter.

"I'm really sorry, Sango," Rayne sighed. "I was being an asshole."

"It's ok… You were just upset. I understand," Sango sighed before taking a seat next to her best friend. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I guess it'd be alright if we talked about it," Rayne said slowly, hesitant on doing so.

Sango waited patiently, making sure she was giving her friend the time she needed.

"So you're right about me liking Reiki, of course," Rayne started with a blush. "She's just so cute, and I love her voice. I could sit and listen to her talk for hours. I guess I'm just a little put off by how much _baggage_ she has. She definitely still has the hots for Kagome and she's bitter about everything. I'm bitter too, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to look for someone else. I guess I'm just frustrated with the fact that she can't push away her anger for a moment and just take a glance around her." (2)

Sango gazed at Rayne realizing that her friend had really changed for the better. She'd never heard Rayne think something through so much. It was as if she had dissected ever part of her problem to analyze it. Was this the product of her recent introspection?

"So you want her to notice you?" Sango asked as Rayne sighed. Blue eyes met hers momentarily before breaking away.

"Yes, but I mean, if she'd rather not, then that's her choice. I'm a bit upset she wouldn't even consider me. Am I really that bad of a person?" Blue eyes were trained to the table.

"Damn, Ray! No way; you're one of the most amazing friends I've ever had. The media makes you look like an asshole, but anyone who gets to know you would really be amazed by who they discover," Sango's hand rested on Rayne's causing the drummer's eyes to connect with deep green once again. Rayne chanced a smile.

"I appreciate that Sango," she blushed and looked down at their touching hands.

"When we get to the club, you should try to strike a conversation. You're really good at breaking people out of their shells," Sango smiled at her friend. "Maybe ask her to dance?"

"I'll try," Rayne sighed. "I'll be steeled for rejection, however."

"Fuck that," Sango snorted. "You look so hot tonight Ray. She'll definitely dance with you."

Rayne smiled her smirk-like smile. "Sango, what did I ever do to deserve a friend like you?"

"Let's go," Sango said, ignoring the question and giving Rayne a smile of her own.

The two exited the kitchen and Kagome was glad to see the both of them in high spirits. Sango took her hand again and her eyes connected knowingly with dark, deep green. Sango leaned down carefully to quickly steal a kiss from Kagome. The younger girl sighed at the fleeting contact, wondering when they'd finally decide to take their relationship up a notch once more. Things were going achingly slow- not that she minded much.

Turning to beckon her visitors forward, before the left her ridiculously blue eyes hitched onto darker blue. The electricity and drive pulsing in these deep blue eyes was simply amazing. She lost her breath for a moment as she gazed into the dark depths of what she only knew as determination. Sango gave her hand a squeeze, once realizing when she had set her sight on.

"We're ready to leave," her girlfriend practically sang. Her voice was melodious, and attractive. Kagome smiled at the fact of knowing that Sango was hers and only hers. She couldn't be happier as they left the house. She was ready to dance and let loose; finally. Locking the front door, Kagome looked at her visitors as they piled into the car.

They were in for one hell of an exciting night.

* * *

1- Rock Quarries are pretty cool, lol. Very pretty if the color of the walls are just right.  
2- I don't know about you, but sometimes I have a hard time understanding people who aren't like me to a certain degree- and it sometimes annoys me (for example, if I like a certain book a lot, but someone eles hates it. I just don't understand and it irritates me that they don't like it, because I like it so much for various reasons). But that's just me being weird. lol

**Thanks for reading! Review please.  
-Enigmatic Ethereality**


	12. Chapter 12: Similarities

**A/N: D: OMG, last day of summer for me. I've been slaving on the computer for the past two days to not only complete this chapter, but finish my summer assignments. Yeah... I'm a major procrastinator. heh heh. But I _always_ get things done; so HA! Um, anyways. Since school is officially starting tomorrow, I probably won't be able to update too often. :( Every now and then, I suppose. I guess, if i had to give you guys a wait time for updates, it would be ever 2 to 2 and a half weeks. Damn those AP classes and damn junior year. I'm gonna be _stressed_ out; I can already feel it! But, here's chapter 12. Sorry if it's crappy or whatever, i _tried_ to make it interesting. XD**

**Oh, and how could I forget?! Thanks for the amazing reviews! I think that's the most I've ever gotten for a single chapter after posting. _REALLY_ :)**

**Rated: Mature** for mature themes/situations, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha or any other copyrighted materials. Just the plot, Reiki, and Rayne.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Similarities**

Sango pulled Kagome tightly against her as they danced in the tightly packed dance floor of the club. The heat and pulsing music seemed to draw everyone into a trance as rhythm stole their conscious away. To Sango and Kagome, it was just the music and them. Nothing else existed and nothing else mattered.

The song changed and Sango pulled Kagome closer if possible. Her lips brushed Kagome's ear as she asked, "Would you like something to drink?"

Kagome tilted her head to deliver a soft kiss to Sango's jaw before replying was a quick, "Yes."

Grabbing Kagome's hand, Sango navigated through the crowd and towards the bar.

"Wait," Kagome said, tugging at Sango's hand. Sango looked back, pulling the frame of her imitation glasses up past her eyebrows. "I don't drink," Kagome finished sheepishly.

"Oh," Sango cocked an eyebrow upwards with a chuckle. Kagome blushed and Sango only smiled. "Do you just want water?"

Nodding, Sango pulled her off into another direction.

* * *

Rayne sighed for possibly the hundredth time as some guy ran his mouth to her at the bar. Apparently he had just been through a terrible break up and he was looking for a way to forget about it all. Well he was in the right place, just with the wrong person and he had about five more minutes until she punched him in the eye. Groaning as she felt some sort of irritation slip into her joints she thought that maybe she should just get up and leave the guy alone. He was already a little buzzed and it wouldn't hurt him- in the long run, he'd probably benefit from it.

Reaching up, she pushed the frame of her imitation glasses up on her nose and sighed. Resting her chin in her hand, she caught a glimpse of Reiki as she disappeared into the throng of dancers. She suddenly felt a little worse than before and allowed her eyes to gaze across the club. It was dark and the flashing lights weren't helping at all. She was also super aware of the black glasses frame that she was wearing because it was foreign.

She was tapped on the shoulder and turned to see Kagome standing there with a slight smile on her lips.

"Do you want to dance?" she asked and the man who had been ranting with slurred words only began to talk louder.

Rayne looked around for Sango and spotted her as she was taking a seat.

"It's alright with Sango. She said she was tired and told me to ask you," Kagome said, taking her hand. Rayne blushed, still trying to get used to the girl that had stolen part of her life from her. Though, Sango wasn't ever really hers, it still felt that way.

"Ok," Rayne shrugged and allowed Kagome to pull her away from the drunken man who was now talking to himself. As they settled into a spot on the crowded dance floor Kagome turned to let Rayne know she was ready to dance. The drummer was taken by surprise by this and the sight of Kagome's frosty blue eyes that seemed to glow in the dim light.

"You prefer strange company," Kagome commented, referring to the man at the bar.

"Oh him? I wasn't really listening to him… I was just looking around," Rayne explained.

"You don't seem like a window shopper to me," Kagome replied causing a blush to rise on Rayne's face.

"I'm not… I just," Rayne didn't finish and Kagome merely took that as her cue to fall into the rhythm. Rayne did the same, proving to be a better dancer than Sango as she held her own with Kagome. A few times some guys tried to dance with her and Rayne was having none of that. She'd "Accidentally" elbow them and they'd back off. Kagome, on the other hand, was thrilled to have another dancing partner and didn't seem to notice when they were getting a bit too close. She was far too wrapped up in the adrenaline rush being there gave her. She was completely in her element because dancing was something she loved to do and was good at.

She was snapped out of her trance when she felt herself being pulled roughly. Kagome was suddenly flush against Rayne who seemed to be giving some guy some choice words of hers. The scholar held very still as Rayne barked insult upon insult at the guy.

"And keep your fucking dick in your pants. Bastard," Rayne continued as he turned and pushed through the crowd.

"Rayne, what was that all about?" Kagome asked as she pulled out of Rayne's warm embrace.

"Did you seriously not feel that guy's hands going up your shirt?" Rayne said in disbelief.

Kagome blushed and looked away with a shake of the head.

"Ugh, you're absolutely hopeless," Rayne groaned as her eyes subconsciously scanned the crowd.

"She's over there," Kagome said, pointing behind her. Rayne blushed and turned to see Reiki dancing in a group of strangers. "Do you want to go dance with her?"

Rayne only continued to blush, not really comfortable enough with Kagome to talk to her about that.

"I figure you want to, so I'll just head over," Kagome lead the way through the dance floor and Rayne followed diligently, as not to get lost. As soon as they got close enough to dance Rayne pulled back to watch. Kagome jumped right in and rested her hands on Reiki's hips. The younger girl jumped, startled by the contact, but when she looked back and saw it was Kagome against her, she smiled. The two girls danced slowly together, for that was what the tempo of the song permitted. Rayne watched in awe as the two seemed to dance intimately. Would she ever be so lucky as to have Reiki flush against her front the way Kagome did- would she ever experience the petite contours of her back?

Feeling hotter than she did before in the packed club, she was startled by her fellow band mate.

"That makes me so jealous sometimes," Sango said as she started to dance with Rayne in a similar way. Not as close, however- the music had slowed even more. "It's pretty much sex with clothes on."

"Grinding's not as fun as other things," Rayne taunted back and Sango chuckled with a nod.

"Kagome's so beautiful tonight."

"She is," Rayne hesitantly agreed. "You're lucky- and so is she."

Sango smiled before saying, "Thanks. And thanks for trying to keep those guys off of Kagome… When she's dancing, she's in her own world. It's just her and the music; she hardly registers anything else."

"I figured," Rayne muttered wryly before Sango pulled away and pulled Kagome away from Reiki.

"You miss me?" Sango asked as she felt Kagome's arms snake around her waist.

"I've had great company; but yes, I missed you."

Sango kissed Kagome quickly before the younger girl buried her face in the crook of her neck.

Rayne and Reiki both glanced at each other with matching blushes. Rayne bravely offered her hand and Reiki took it after a moment's hesitation. She was hoping that Rayne wouldn't take the acceptance as something more than it was. She was lucky, however, because Rayne knew that it was merely a dance and nothing more.

"Thank you," Rayne said as soon as she was dancing close enough to Reiki for her to hear. Reiki nodded as she allowed herself to enjoy the feel of Rayne's body beneath her fingers. The song picked up tempo just a bit again and Rayne was surprised to see that Reiki followed the rhythm just as avidly as Kagome did. Sango seemed to be struggling with it just a bit, but Kagome didn't seem to mind at all.

Suddenly the music cut off and the crowd groaned and yelled their protest at the DJ.

"Wait wait, don't complain just yet!" he said with a confidant kind of voice. "I've gotten word that we have some surprise guests here with us tonight. Two of the hottest musicians on the circuit to date!"

There was a confused whisper and Sango muttered, "Shit," as she buried her face in Kagome's hair.

"Sango and Rayne from the band Kirara!" he finished with excitement.

A cheer erupted from the crowd and Rayne gave Sango a "what the hell do we do now?" kind of look. Sango shrugged before burying her face back into Kagome's hair.

"Sango, do you want to leave right now; try to slip out?" Kagome asked as her hand slipped up behind Sango's neck.

"Come on ladies; don't hide from your fans!" the DJ encouraged and Sango sighed tiredly.

"Sorry about this Kagome," Sango muttered before pulling away and beckoning for Rayne to follow her. They removed their fake glasses as they headed towards the stage next to the DJ's podium. As they advanced, people began to recognize them, and the crowd split easily. Cheers erupted from all around and Kagome smiled.

Once Sango and Rayne got up on stage, they both smiled and transformed into their stage personalities. Taking a microphone from the DJ Sango began to speak and cameras began to flash.

"Hey guys! I bet you weren't expecting us!"

The crowd went wild. It suddenly seemed there were more people in there than before. Rayne took the microphone away from Sango and gave a smirk.

"So who was it who gave us away?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow upwards. Her electric blue eyes scanned the crowd quickly looking for someone to come forward. Perhaps they were afraid she was going to harm them.

"I bet it was that guy I chewed out earlier," she thought aloud. The crowd laughed lightly. "Look, ladies, I don't know what you think, but I think there's some serious scum lurking around here so watch out."

"Ladies, do you feel like answering a few questions from your fans?" the DJ asked. Sango scanned the crowd quickly, surprised to see him in the throng of people. He moved fast.

"Spit it," Rayne replied, slipping her thumb through her belt loop casually.

"Alright, this young lady right here would like to give it a go," he said, handing the microphone to a blonde girl who looked a bit too young to even be in there.

"This question's for Sango," she spoke bravely and Rayne looked over at Sango with a knowing smirk.

"Alright," Sango said into the microphone Rayne had handed her.

"What are you two doing out here? Last I heard you were up north preparing for the tour."

"Well, funny story that one," Sango chuckled before deciding. "We're here with… friends- invited to just relax. I hadn't seen them in a while and we both needed a break from Kikyo and her bitching."

The crowd chuckled at this, having read in magazines that Kikyo could be quite controlling at times. Sango's eyes flitted over to Kagome to make sure what she had said was alright with her. She couldn't help but smile to see her girlfriend's approving gaze. Kagome understood the lie; she understood that it was for her safety.

"We're just people, ya know. We wanna hang out and chill from time to time," Rayne said, leaning over to speak into the microphone.

"And here's the next question," the DJ said, somehow on the other side of the room. He must've been moving when they were answering the question.

"I read in the most recent volume of Retro Rock Magazine that you two aren't together anymore." A guy started and noise swept through the club. "You two failed to explain why…" he left the question hanging and Sango decided to answer this one.

"Ray's a great girl- amazing really. She's one of the best friends I've ever had but I thought the amazing friendship that we had made could be something more… and it was for a while," Sango looked introspective. "But then I realized that… that I was still in love with my ex. I hurt Rayne really badly," she gave Rayne a glance. Rayne gave her a small smile and Sango continued.

"Our relationship was strained after I realized that and we decided that it was best that we separated."

"We're still best friends though." Rayne added in with a smile. "Sango's always there for me."

An impressed "Awww," ran through the club.

"So now that you've broken up, are you looking for someone else to date?" the DJ asked, waggling his eyebrows.

"Well, I'm back with the woman I love," Sango smiled fondly, only meeting Kagome's eyes briefly.

"I'm single," Rayne said biting her lower lip lightly. "I already have my sights set on someone though."

This time a disappointed "Awww," breezed through.

"Well, before you disappoint your fans anymore, how about a song?" the DJ suggested as he headed back to his set.

"A song," Sango looked at Rayne and they seemed to be communicating silently. Rayne shrugged and Sango smiled.

"Well, there was this song that I was working on with Kikyo," Sango sounded wishy-washy but the crowd erupted. To hear a bit of a new song before it was even released was certainly something big.

"Can we get another mic up here?" Sango asked the DJ and he quickly handed one to Rayne.

"You know the lyrics Ray?" Sango asked, and Rayne shrugged. The volume of the crowd was slowly tapering in volume.

"A little. I think I can manage."

Reiki and Kagome sat quietly in the car as Sango and Rayne chatted on about the club and how fun singing on stage was.

"I wish there had been a guitar lying around or something," Rayne muttered, her cheeks still tinted with a blush. "Then you would've played and sang and I could've done my little beatboxing thing."

"Are you kidding me?! I thought it was beautiful without music," Kagome butted in and Reiki nodded her agreement.

"You have a lovely voice, Rayne," Reiki commented and Rayne's face was engulfed in a ridiculous blush. She looked out of the window to her right because Reiki was sitting right next to her in the back of the car.

"Really," Kagome added. "Who would've known?"

"I don't sing for the band because I play my drums. That's all I agreed to anyways; Sango always gets crazy ideas about me singing with her for acoustic pieces."

"You should," Reiki encouraged and Sango smirked. "Your voices have an amazing sound together."

"Maybe," Rayne conformed easily with a flaming blush.

"People never guess that _everyone_ in our band can sing. I think that's what makes us a great band- our versatility. We can try things that other bands would never fathom," Sango mused aloud.

"I think we should try the drum and piano thing," Rayne said and Sango shrugged.

"We will once we get a song ready for it. Kikyo said she open to any ideas now."

The car went silent and after a moment, Kagome sighed.

"I can't believe you have to leave tonight," she whined and Sango chuckled.

"We've got a busy few days ahead of us and I can't just disappear on the band," Sango said as they arrived at Kagome's house.

"We could always leave early tomorrow morning," Rayne suggested. "I'm sure you're tired because I know I am."

"And you think I'll get sleep by hanging around here tonight?" Sango asked and Kagome punched her lightly before the two laughed knowingly.

"Well I'm tired. I'm down with hanging around for the night," Rayne replied as she shut the car door after Reiki got out.

"Ok," Sango sighed. "But _you're_ the one calling Kikyo to tell her."

Rayne groaned, but then shrugged.

* * *

Kagome's heart was pounding as Sango's lips moved expertly against her own. Her arms wrapped around Sango's waist and their kiss deepened. Suddenly, Sango pulled away. Kagome's eyes connected with deep dark green in the darkness of the room. The light filtering through the window was all that illuminated the darkness around them.

"Kagome, at this pace I'll never get enough sleep," Sango mumbled as she kissed Kagome lazily.

The younger girl sighed and kissed Sango fleetingly before speaking.

"I wish you didn't have to leave."

"You know I have to, babe," Sango said, feeling very warm in Kagome's arms.

"All of our meetings will eventually end this way, won't they?" Kagome's voice was thick and strained. The younger girl buried her face in the crook of Sango's neck.

"Kagome, babe, are you crying?"

"No," came her muffled reply, but Sango knew better.

"You're everything to me, you know that. You matter more to me than my career and I'll give that up for you. I'll give everything up for you; fame, fortune, the whole nine yards. We don't have to be apart…"

"Sango, I'd never do that to you," Kagome huffed, pulling away from the older girl slightly. Her wet blue eyes gazed determinedly into dark green. "How can you even expect me to ask you to give that up after seeing you on stage tonight? You _love_ singing and performing. It's your calling, and I'd never take that away from you. Especially not for something so selfish."

Sango smiled sadly.

"I love you," the green eyed girl said, causing a blush to rise on Kagome's cheeks again. "I love the sound of your voice and the amazing color of your eyes. I love the determination that lives in you and I love the feel of your lips. I love your incredible mind and the way you say my name. I love you heart and the feel of your hands on me. I love _everything_ about you and if you think I love being on stage more; then you're mistaken and I want you to know that wanting to be with me is not selfish because I'd enjoy being with you, even if it meant not being a musician."

"God, Sango. What did I do to deserve you?" Kagome's eyes watered as she took a long moment before she spoke. Her lips quivered lightly and Sango smiled.

"You were you, Kagome. That's what you did," she kissed Kagome gently before finishing. "Let's get some sleep."

* * *

Rayne laid on the porch as a trillion thoughts ran through her mind. The cool air of the nighttime was somewhat soothing, but not soothing enough to appease the raging heat of inquiry that brewed inside. It seemed that she just couldn't get a grip on her situation. Sango had been absolutely supportive and Kagome had been too, obviously. It was a given that the two lover were up to some sort of plan to get her and Reiki together. Rayne obviously didn't mind; but she wasn't sure if that was the best thing. If Reiki knew, the younger girl probably wouldn't want to try a relationship… That is if she hadn't already killed the idea before.

She sighed and shut her eyes, hoping to figure everything out. Being lost in thought was absolutely distracting.

"You should be careful not to sleep out here," a voice startled her. Opening her eyes, she was met by the vision of Reiki.

"I'll try not to… Something my thoughts just steal me away."

Reiki didn't reply, but she took a seat on the porch steps, a few feet away from the other girl.

"It's refreshing out here," Reiki murmured, shutting her eyes comfortably as she leant against the steps' railing.

"Yeah," Rayne replied with a deep breath. "I like to just sit outside for a while at night sometimes."

Reiki nodded tiredly and Rayne looked away from the girl who wasn't paying her much attention. She couldn't help the blush that appeared beneath her dark blue eyes.

"Kagome says we're a lot alike," Reiki finally said.

"I think we are," Rayne said after a moment's hesitation.

"Maybe," the green eyed girl seemed to sigh. "Sorry about earlier."

"What?"

"Well, I've changed my mind."

"Reiki?..."

"When I said I wouldn't kiss you."

Rayne's heart stopped beating for a moment. She wasn't sure if she were hearing right.

"I… Well…" she suddenly felt very stupid for babbling.

"Sorry if that makes you uncomfortable," Reiki chuckled lightly. "Though I doubt it does. I'm sure you've kissed plenty of women."

"Quality, not quantity," Rayne chuckled and Reiki chanced a smile that Rayne couldn't see. The blonde was very clever.

"Who's the lucky lady?"

"You mean who I was talking about at the club?"

"Yeah… Must be nice to have someone to wait for."

Rayne was screaming a million things in her head at Reiki. Not a sound left her lips.

"It's not so nice when that person doesn't even acknowledge you," Rayne shrugged, wishing she could just look into Reiki's deep green eyes.

"I know the feeling."

Rayne cringed, knowing she had hit a sore spot.

"Well you probably want to get on with your thinking," Reiki stood before looked down at Rayne. She smiled before leaving. "Goodnight Ray."

Rayne's heart filled at that little farewell. That simple use of her nickname sent her back into her deep reverie. She did eventually end up falling asleep outside.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! The story seems to be progressing quite slowly- I still have a lot to write!  
Anyways, review and tell me what you liked! I can't wait to hear from you.  
-Enigmatic Ethereality**


	13. Theft

OK, sorry for this to be an ABSOLUTELY informal author's note, but it is. This isn't for the postponement of FMII; I'll be updating within the next few weeks.

**I've just found a SERIOUS act of plagiarism- and _I'm the one being plagiarized_!! D: The story "Hurting Angels" on adult fanfiction seems to have DIRECT QUOTES from Forgotten Memories (the first one.) Here's the link. Remove the spaces. (inu.adultfanfiction. net/story.php?no600093104). **It's in chapter four, and it FOR SURE has quotes from when Sango found Kagome with her instructor (in chapter 14)- it's almost word for word. I'm so upset, irritated, and annoyed. I don't know what to do really. I've left the author a short message as a review and I've emailed the site to report it. I don't know if that's all i need to do. All I know is that I've had work _stolen_ from me. I've had _my words_ **stolen** from me and let me tell you, it's a terrible feeling. I'm soooo confused, and I don't know what else to do about it. So if you have any ideas, please tell me.I don't want someone taking from me and thinking it's ok, because it's not. **It's a TERRIBLE crime. :(**

**Oh, and feel free to send the author hate mail/reviews. I don't have it in my heart to cuss someone out- so why not do it for me? lol jk- seriously though. I'm REALLY upset about this. I just can't believe someone would do something like that to me. :(**


	14. Chapter 13: I Miss You More

**A/N:** Hi everyone! I finally scraped what was left of my creativity off of the inside of my skull and finished up this chapter. I swear, AP English 3 is making me lose my creativity- with all the essay and non-fiction crap we write and read. But here's the long awaited chapter! Sorry I made everyone wait for ever, heh heh. Oh, and the story theft has been delt with! D yay. so please read and review.

* * *

**Chapter 13: I Miss You More**

Kagome and Reiki waved goodbye as Sango and Rayne pulled out of the driveway early the next day. It had taken a long while for Kagome and Sango to stop giving each other farewell kisses, but they eventually did and grudgingly parted. Reiki had watched in amusement as the two said goodbye over and over and Rayne complained about the bug bites she obtained by sleeping outside.

Reiki and Kagome headed back to school once Kagome's mother had returned.

"So how was your night with Sango?" Reiki asked with a bright blush.

"Rei!" Kagome gasped in surprise. "We didn't do anything like that." Kagome's blush was brighter than ever.

"But you have before, right?" Reiki's curiosity was driving her to say things she usually wouldn't.

"God, Rei… That's a little personal," but her blush said it all. Even her ears were turning red.

"Sorry," Reiki mumbled, feeling embarrassed, herself. She sighed before berating herself; why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut?

"So was our trip to the club in vain? Did you find someone interesting?" the blue eyed girl questioned as she drove into the outskirts of the large campus. Kagome knew where exactly she was going with this question and hoped Reiki would fall into her trap.

"Not really," the green eyed scholar replied turning to look out of the window. How unfortunate; she realized she had been too wrapped up in Rayne to even remember why she had gone to the club in the first place. Who would've known Rayne was so kind and captivating, though?

Reiki's thoughts were suddenly focused on the blonde drummer. Rayne was absolutely gorgeous. She had amazing hair and brilliant, electric blue eyes. Her height was attractive as well; tall women _were_ beautiful and it had taken Reiki meeting Sango and Rayne to realize that. They weren't intimidating in any way. They were absolutely captivating and goddess-like in Reiki's eyes.

And her voice! Rayne's melodic voice! She felt like one of the luckiest people in the world to have heard her voice. Would she ever hear something so surprisingly fantastic again?

"Reiki?" Kagome's loud voice cut through to her mental reverie.

"Huh?" Reiki replied not realizing she had been lost in thought for a long time. Kagome merely chuckled at the confused tone of voice Reiki had and her dazed look.

"What do you think of Rayne?" she asked again as she turned down the road that would eventually lead them to Reiki's dorm.

"Oh," Reiki mumbled. "She's alright." All of the thoughts that had been bouncing about in her head about the woman were nowhere to be seen. This disappointed Kagome a small bit.

"Alright? That's all?" her ice blue eyes interrogated her.

"I guess," Reiki shrugged and Kagome felt a little dissatisfied. Was that seriously all Reiki had to say after spending so much time with the blonde the previous night?

"Oh… I thought you two hit it off well," Kagome inferred and her friend blushed hotly. "I think Rayne is a bit interested in you."

"Kagome, as if," Reiki gave a questionable chuckle. "She could probably find any kind of girl she'd ever want. Why would she be interested in me in any way?"

"I don't know," Kagome gave her own shrug. "It just looked like she wanted to talk to you a lot."

"She probably thought I'd be easy," Reiki replied crudely and Kagome cringed. Reiki was so bitter; it was a bit uncomfortable.

"Ah, well I think her intentions are noble," Kagome smiled as she pulled to a stop in front of Reiki's dorm.

"Probably not," Reiki laughed. "You know those celebrity types," she joked.

Kagome offered a short laugh and waited for the green eyed girl to get her things out of the car.

"They both want you to come on tour with me when I go. They've taken a liking to you," Kagome offered.

"I'll think about it," Reiki replied with a musing look.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said before waving goodbye and driving off.

It took Kagome a very short while to drive back to her own dorm. She was greeted by a very excited Rin.

"KAGOME!" Rin screamed as she threw herself at her friend. Kagome gave Rin a hug, laughing at the girl's excitement. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, Rin," Kagome laughed, glad to have someone as… interesting as Rin as a roommate. She wasn't gone but for a night; Rin was so silly.

"Yeah right. I bet you didn't think about me even once with tall, dark, and sexy at your house with you," Rin scoffed playfully. Kagome's blush caused the smaller girl to smirk triumphantly. Kagome rolled her eyes and peeled her friend off of her.

"I'll have you know that we _didn't_ have sex," Kagome said tilting her head so her nose was in the air and she was looking at Rin mischievously from the corner of her eye.

"Ewww, Kagome! Please, keep that to yourself!" Rin joked before flopping down on the bean bag chair they shared. The blue eyed girl laughed before dropping her bag to the ground and flopping backwards onto her bed.

"So, how did Reiki fair with Rayne?" Rin ventured to ask and Kagome sat up before heaving a sigh. Brown eyes questioned her with concern and Kagome offered a wry smile to let Rin know it wasn't terrible, but it was still not great.

"Reiki is really… strange. Like, I can't understand her. Rayne is _obviously_ into her and she brushed her off like it was nothing."

"Wow… I think she's taking this whole," you loving Sango" thing a bit too seriously. Like, ok, she got rejected. Big deal; she needs to get over you and she has an opportunity- a great opportunity, right? And she won't take it? What's her issue?" Rin began to rant.

"I think there's something else about Reiki that we don't know. I mean, remember when she told us that she used to do a lot of questionable things?"

"Um, no," Rin answered truthfully.

"Well, you were there, and she did," Kagome rolled her eyes before laughing. "Anyways, I think that maybe something really terrible happened to her for her to change so much."

"Kagome, please. Don't try to make Reiki some strange woman with a dark past. I couldn't possibly handle that. Now I'm going to laugh every time I see her because I'll remember this ridiculous conversation," Rin groaned and Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Ok, Rin," the blue eyed girl sighed. "But I'm going to find out somehow. And when I'm right, you'll be surprised."

"Hell yeah I'll be surprised if it's true because of how _unlikely_ it is."

Kagome laughed and she sat up.

"Hey, isn't your dad supposed to be visiting sometime this week?" she asked her short friend.

"Ah, yeah. I think on Tuesday, why?"

"Oh, nothing; I just want to make sure my schedule's open."

"When are you going to the concert again?" Rin asked lazily. "I'm kind of upset I wasn't invited. At least I can lie around and mope with Rei."

"Oh, well Rin, Rei was invited to come with me," Kagome offered timidly.

"WHAT?! How unfair is _that_?!" RIn began to huff. "It's 'cause I'm not a lesbo, huh?"

"Rin," Kagome bit out tersely with an insane blush on her cheeks.

"Sorry," Rin muttered, blushing herself. "But I mean, it's a legitimate accusation."

"Yeah, but you didn't have to… Ah, whatever. The concert's on Wednesday night," Kagome just replied, chuckling to herself.

"I can't believe I wasn't invited," Rin pretended to cry.

"Did you forget your medication?"

"What?"

"Never mind."

Kagome rolled her eyes at Rin's density and unpacked her things. She later called Sango.

"Hey babe," Sango answered quickly. "I miss you."

"I miss you too Sango," Kagome replied as Rin snickered. Ignoring the younger girl, Kagome continued. "I was just calling to see how you were doing and to hear your voice."

"I'm alright; I want you here, though. I'm glad you called," Sango said, and Kagome instantly knew that Sango had more to say by her tone of voice. "You see, I want to make sure you're as comfortable as possible on the tour with us. Reiki too," she add at the end.

"Do you want to share a room with me at the hotel?"

"Um, Sango," Kagome started slowly. Her blue eyes seemed filled with question because that had been such an easy question. Perhaps it were a trick question, she pondered.

"I mean, I don't want Reiki on her own if that's avoidable…"

"Why can't she and Rayne share a room and get two beds?"

"Ray said she wouldn't feel comfortable with Reiki in the room with her."

"Oh… well I guess she can be with us in our room."

"So is sharing a bed with me ok, because I can always get a separate room for the two of you."

"That's ok, Sango," Kagome chuckled softly, dismissing the ideas. "I like cuddling with you, anyways."

"Oh… ok," Sango replied shortly. Kagome heard muffled talking in the background. Sango replied to those questions apologetically.

"Was that Rayne?" Kagome asked curiously.

"Yeah," Sango's voice was much lower. "Apparently, I'm being too loud right now and she's trying to go to sleep."

"You share a room?"

Sango didn't hesitate with her answer, "Yup."

"Oh," Kagome mumbled… Suddenly her mind was on the topic. Sango and Rayne shared a room… She knew they hadn't gotten separate houses, because they probably liked their living arrangement, but she had figured they'd get separate rooms at least. I mean, there's nothing wrong with sharing a room, people did that all the time. There is something wrong, however, when the parties being mentioned used to kiss and have sex. That's when you'd run into a problem.

"I… um, Sango?" Kagome mumbled, filled to the brim with morbid curiosity.

"Yeah babe," Sango answered with a voice as sweet and intoxicating as warm, golden honey.

"Do you guys… ah, never mind," Kagome lost her guts. She was going to ask if they shared a bed, but that was crazy. They probably had two separate beds… though, this seemed just as outrageous as them sharing a bed. It confused her. Part of her felt that there was only one bed in that room, and another part imagined two beds, probably queen sized.

"Kagome," Sango sighed, sounding a bit nervous because of what she assumed Kagome was talking about. "What is it?"

"Don't worry about it. It's stupid," Kagome mumbled. Even if they were sharing a bed, it's not like Sango would cheat on her. Sango would rather die than be unfaithful. She'd always been that way and Kagome doubted becoming a rock star would change that.

"We sleep together," Sango said once the silence became unbearable. Kagome's heart was in her throat. Of course she knew it was the "sleep in bed together" and not the "have sex together".

"Ok," the blue eyed girl replied with a dry mouth. She tried to swallow but realized she would probably choke on her own dry esophagus.

Rin stepped quietly into the room after going to the bathroom. Kagome wished she had gone to do something else instead of pee so she'd have more time to talk to Sango comfortably. Rin made her feel awkward at times because, despite the fact she was alright with Kagome's bisexuality, she seemed to be slightly obsessed with it. Rin made Kagome feel that the only thing unique about her was the fact that she was into Sango and it kind of bugged her. Sometimes, Kagome couldn't tell if Rin was being serious or not when she used the words "lesbo" and "dyke" and "fag". The blue eyed scholar would often blow that thought away with, "Oh, come on. It's just Rin. She kids about everything. You can't really take anything she says seriously." Then again, she shouldn't let Rin take advantage of her if the shorter girl did have nefarious intentions- which she _doubted highly_.

"Does this bother you?" Sango asked curiously.

"A little," Kagome confessed. "But I know it's a platonic thing and that you'd never cheat on me. I have no reason to be uncomfortable about this… I mean, besides the fact that you two used to be together, but… It's not something I feel I should worry about," Kagome offered her thoughts. Rin gave her a strange look before climbing up into her bunk.

"You… trust me, right?" Sango asked softly with a gentle and concerned voice.

"Of course!" Kagome answered quickly, feeling a bit down. Why would Sango ask that? "Of course I trust you Sango…"

"Kagome, if you don't like this, all you have to say is that you don't and that you want us to stop."

"Sango, it's alright."

"Kagome," Sango said firmly.

Kagome didn't say anything and Sango sighed.

"Alright Kagome; I'm going to bed and I'll talk to you later."

"Ok Sango."

"I love you," Sango said with all love and sincerity.

"I love you too," Kagome replied softly.

Silently, Kagome hung up and stared across the room at nothing in particular. Why had that conversation left her feeling the way she was? Why did she feel upset and slightly depressed?

"What was that all about?" Rin asked, startling her from her reverie.

"Nothing," Kagome said quickly, her blue eyes were not betraying a single thing. "Goodnight."

And with that Kagome slipped into her bed to sleep. About thirty minutes later, Rin turned off the light. Kagome lay awake in bed for several hours with different thoughts running through her mind. She eventually fell into a restless sleep.

* * *

It was dark in the room. The only light visible was the pale illumination from the moon through the open window. A warm breeze blew in every now and then and the curtains danced in a slow and sullen way at each blow. It was calm and comfortable as the two musicians lay wrapped in each other's arms. Still, however, Sango lay awake. She just couldn't fall asleep. Something inside was terribly restless and sleep continued to evade her most of the night.

She felt that she had hurt Kagome in some way when she told her about Rayne sleeping in her bed. Of course, it was better for Kagome to know that for her to live without knowing. At least, that's what she felt. She knew she'd have to tell her at one point. Sango sighed, shutting her green eyes tiredly. She was very tired and cursed herself for not being able to sleep. Hugging Rayne tighter she buried her nose into deep blonde locks. Ray's hair smelt of lavender, and Sango always found the scent soothing.

The green eyed musician wondered how long her relationship with Kagome would be strained like this. She didn't want to abandon the band so quickly. They had only just gotten their start, after all. It was be a terrible thing for her to do to them.

How long would Kagome be in school? She pondered. Hadn't they said she'd be graduating next year? Was that in the fall, or the spring? Kagome certainly had nearly enough hours; would she just leave with a college diploma and come live with her? Probably not. Kagome was brilliant; Kagome would want to get her PhD in whatever she was studying. She would want to go as far as she could with her schooling and more.

What was she studying anyways?

Sango frowned. Had she always been so in the dark about Kagome's future goals? Suddenly, the green eyed girl felt terrible. What kind of girlfriend was she? She felt she had been a bit too hasty with the "trust" comment on the phone with Kagome. The blue eyed scholar had sounded absolutely blue when they hung up. Was Kagome distressing over the topic as well?

"Sango? Are you still up?" Rayne suddenly asked, startling the guitarist.

"Yeah Ray," she replied before Rayne sighed.

"Damn, Sango; we've got a long day planned," Rayne said and Sango sighed. She knew this. The first day of their tour would be starting in less than 5 hours. They'd be getting up to hop into a plane and fly down to Florida to start on what they hoped would boost their record sales- not that it needed boosting anyways.

"I know," Sango muttered. "I just can't sleep. I feel like I really hurt Kagome."

"Oh," Rayne said, softly. "Well, she did say that she trusted you, right?"

"Yeah, but trust or not, I can still hurt her. Having that trust makes her even more vulnerable to me," the brunette mumbled. "She sounded upset. Subdued even… I didn't think that _this_ would hurt her so much."

"Then stop doing it," Rayne snapped, annoyed with Sango just slightly. Why make a big deal out of something so small? Hell, Rayne would even sleep on the couch to fix things.

"But it's not wrong so I don't understand why I feel so bad," Sango seemed perplexed.

"Look, sometimes things that don't seem bad to you, will seem bad to others. Take Hitler and his views on-"

"Don't compare me to Hitler," Sango bit out, sitting up. Rayne sighed and rolled over to look at Sango.

"All I'm saying is that if you feel bad about Kagome feeling bad, then we should stop sleeping together. It's not a matter of right or wrong; it's a matter of making your girlfriend happy," Rayne said with her deep blue eyes glowing with hidden wisdom.

Sango was amazed. When had Rayne become so logical and introspective? Well, she knew when she had become introspective, but she hadn't known it was on such a deep level. Rayne cocked an eyebrow upwards and Sango chanced a smile. The guitarist touched Rayne's cheek lightly before stroking it lightly. The blonde's cheek lit lightly before she shut her eyes and sighed.

"I'll miss this, you know," Rayne sighed.

"I will too," Sango leaned forward and gently kissed Rayne on the cheek. "But perhaps it's about time we let each other go. We're too… intimate of friends. We need to just… to just…"

"I know," Rayne smiled bitterly.

"I love you," Sango smiled pulling her hand back.

"I love you too," Rayne replied, touching Sango's dark brown locks.

"Ah, I feel like you're moving out," Sango mused. "Which you are, but just out of the room."

Rayne shrugged, "Get some sleep Sango."

That night, while Sango and Rayne got ready to go out on stage for the first stop for their tour, Sango pulled Rayne away from the others as their opening act warmed up the crowd.

"Hey, Ray," Sango began and her blonde band mate cocked one eyebrow upwards. The eyeliner around Rayne's eyes really made her blue eyes shocking to see.

"Yes?" Rayne asked, tapping her foot to the rhythm of the music that had begun again. Sango mistook it as impatience.

"Do you have your cell phone anywhere near?" the brunette asked hesitantly.

"Yeah, why?" Rayne dug into her purple cargos and pulled out said item.

Sango grinned sheepishly before continuing, "I just want to talk to Kagome real quick."

Rayne laughed lightly, before handing Sango the cell phone and scooting off back towards Hakudoshi who was giving them a strange look.

Sango quickly dialed Kagome's number and held the phone to her ear. It rang four times before Kagome answered.

"_Hello_?"

"Hey babe," Sango smiled after hearing Kagome's voice. Her heart was pounding, and it wasn't because she was about to perform in front of hundreds of people in a few moments.

"_Are you at the concert? I can barely hear you_," the blue eyed girl said.

"Yeah, we're about to go on. I just wanted to call you and hear your voice before we did," Sango blushed lightly and she tried to imagine Kagome's face. When Kagome didn't reply Sango sighed.

"I'm sorry about earlier. I was being an idiot."

"_What_?"

"I should've thought about how you'd feel."

"_Oh… that. Well, it's alright_," Kagome said with absolutely no conviction.

"Hey, Sango. Hurry it up, we're about to go on," Kikyo said, standing in front of Sango impatiently. Green eyes blazed hotly as they looked up at the bassist. Kikyo gave a chiding look and Sango turned away, blatantly ignoring her.

"No it's not alright," Sango mumbled. "I was being a jerk. Just because I'm Sango Taijiya doesn't mean I can do whatever the hell I want. It was stupid, and I apologize for hurting you."

"_Sango_…"

"So Rayne's moving out of my room. And if you want, she can move out of the apartment."

"_Sango, you don't have to make her do that. That's not fair to you_."

"No! That's not fair to _you_. Do you hear yourself? Don't be so afraid to lose me that you let me walk all over you!"

Kagome was silent and Sango sighed.

"And what's worse is that I questioned your trust. I know you trust me. That was really stupid of me."

Sango couldn't see, but Kagome was now crying.

"I know you trust me," Sango's eyebrows furrowed and she felt absolutely pathetic. "I'm sorry."

"Sango," Kikyo barked loudly. They had to go on, but Sango couldn't wait any longer to have this conversation.

"Kagome?"

"_Sango, call me after you're done, ok? I heard Kikyo_."

"Kagome," Sango urged, not wanting for things to be like that before she performed. That meant she'd have to fake excitement and happiness, and she really didn't feel like doing that. At that exact moment, with Kagome upset with her, Sango just wanted to lie down. The green eyed musician suddenly felt tired.

"_Sango, we'll talk later_."

Sighing, the musician sighed before saying, "I love you."

Kagome responded, "_I love you too_," right back, without hesitation and that brightened Sango's sullen mood just a little. If Kagome still loved her, then she could go on.

"_Do your best_," Kagome continued and Sango smiled. Determination burned deeply in her emerald eyes and she hung up the phone and stuffed it into her own low riding cargos. Sango refused to lose Kagome ever again.

Rayne gave Sango a knowing smirk as she jogged out onto the stage, into the bright and blinding lights. Noise exploded throughout the venue and she ran her hand through her dark brown hair, just a little. The rest of the band followed, getting into the respective stage positions. That night would be a good starting night; Sango could just feel it in her bones.

* * *

The phone call Kagome was waiting for came late in the night. It had just been getting past eleven or so.

"_Hey babe_," Sango breathed. She sounded very winded. Kagome assumed she had called back right as they had finished on stage.

"Hey… How was it?" Kagome asked as she tried to filter out the noise in the background.

"_It was great_," Sango sounded very happy. She was probably pleased with the turnout.

"That's good," the blue eyed girl offered hesitantly. Her fingers found a lock of dark, raven hair to play with as she waited to Sango to say something.

"_So, um, about earlier_," Sango started with an awkward laugh.

"Ah, I hate when I'm in these situations with you. They're so… weird."

"_I agree_," Sango said grimly. They were both silent for a while and Kagome just listened to the crowd as the sound seemed to taper very slowly.

"_Like I said before, I'm really sorry. Everything's been sorted out, though_."

"Sango, what you said earlier… I never really thought about things between us that way. About me treading on eggshells, so I won't lose you… but you do it too. Well, at least I think you do."

"_Oh_…" Kagome frowned, hearing the worry in Sango's tired voice. What was the older girl thinking?

"I love you, Sango, I always will. So you don't have to be so cautious. I trust you as well. I trust you way more than you can imagine, so please don't feel hindered by our relationship. I don't want you to feel that way," Kagome continued to tug at her hair.

"_I don't want you to feel that way either. I trust you as well, Kagome. Maybe not as much as I did at the very start of our relationship those years ago, but I still trust you more than a lot of others in my life. I know I will grow to trust you more, so please don't take offence to what I just said_."

"I don't," Kagome replied, sighing.

"_Know that I love you too, Kagome. I look forward to the time we'll have together_."

Kagome couldn't help the hot blush that ran across her cheeks. Rin flopped around in her bed and Kagome pushed an eyebrow upwards. The younger girl slept like a log.

"I miss you a lot," Kagome muttered and fought hard to keep the stinging in her eyes to a minimum.

"_I miss you more than anything, ever_," Sango said, noticing how much quieter it was in the stadium.

The blue eyed girl stifled her laugher, "I think I miss you more."

"_No way_," Sango playfully countered. "_I definitely miss you more_."

Kagome laughed loudly this time. "Ah, I'd love to go on and on with this, because it seems like _so much fun_," she said sarcastically, "but I know you're tired, and I'm tired, so I'll have to end it there. This time, you win."

"_Yes! Epic success_," Sango smirked and Kagome rolled her eyes with a huge smile on her lips.

"Call me when you wake up after you do whatever and fall asleep, ok?" Kagome asked and Sango nodded before remembering she was on the phone.

"_I sure will. I can't wait to hear your voice again_," Sango felt her own cheeks heating up. "_Goodnight Kagome, and sleep well_."

"Goodnight Sango."

* * *

**The next chapter will be all about the concert! ;D woohoo!  
Thanks for reading and please review  
-Enigmatic Ethereality**


	15. Chapter 14: PreShow

****

**A/N: Yes, I'm alive. Don't worry, I'm not done with this story yet! I apologize for not updating for so long- but I'm sure you understand that real life beckons. Anyways, here's chapter 14. Enjoy!**

**Rated: Mature** for mature themes/situations, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha or any other copyrighted materials. Just the plot, Reiki, and Rayne.

* * *

Chapter 14: Pre-Show

Kagome sat with much anticipation, watching the trees fade into city outskirts. The sky was still slowly darkening as the sun slid into place behind the skyline. It cast a beautiful orange hue across every surface and the blue eyed girl kept her eyes trained to the marvelously large windows of the growing skyscrapers when she could take her concentration away from the road.

A deep sigh caught her attention and she glanced over at the girl who was sitting in the passenger seat of the car. Despite the fact that the drive wasn't too long, just over an hour and a half, Reiki was quick to fall asleep. She seemed peaceful enough, sighing every few minutes in what seemed like content. The small girl's decision to join Kagome at the concert was last minute, but it greatly delighted Kagome because she didn't know how she would've taken care of both Souta and Kohaku who were sitting in the back seat playing with their handheld games on her own.

"Hey, Kagome, how much longer till we get to this place anyways?" Souta asked. Kagome looked up into the rearview mirror briefly before pursing her lips a bit.

"We're almost there," she replied, wondering why he was asking. They'd been there before countless times for plenty of other shows.

"What are our plans for dinner?" Kohaku asked distracting Kagome from her irritation.

The bit her lip gently, thinking. Were they supposed to wait until they got to the hotel, or were they supposed to get dinner first? Getting to the hotel first seemed like the best idea. If they got there and met up with the band, they could get food together… Or would they have already eaten?

"I'll call Sango," Kohaku offered. Kagome opened her mouth to interject, but the boy had already pulled out his cell phone and used the speed dial to call his older sister. Frowning, she kept her eyes on the road listening very closely for what the boy would say to greet Sango. She was kind of hoping to talk to Sango herself because hearing her voice made her heart soar, so she was a little upset with Kohaku, but he was only trying to be helpful. Sighing, she listened for him to start speaking.

"Hey sis," he said, smiling, and Souta snickered. Kohaku gave him a hard punch but Kagome wasn't paying attention to that. "No, no; everything's fine. We're in town now and really close to the hotel down the road from the… oh… Um, ok."

Kagome glanced back through the rearview mirror after hearing Kohaku's voice lose its vigor. Her deep blue eyes displayed her concern and he chuckled weakly before speaking.

"Ah, Sango wants to talk to you," he said as he handed her the phone.

"Hey babe," Kagome spoke hesitantly as she drove down the exit ramp.

"_Hey baby,_" Sango replied sounding a bit annoyed.

"What's wrong?"

"_Oh, nothing… I just wanted to talk to you. Don't let Kohaku know, he'll get jealous. I know I'll be seeing you in a little while, but I couldn't help it."_ Sango replied in a gentle voice. Kagome knew that Sango was speaking the truth, but she also knew that something was bothering the older girl, even if just a little.

"Oh, ok," the blue eyed spoke, hoping to keep her happiness away from Kohaku's ears. She knew the boy would be more than just jealous. "Um, well we were just calling to ask if we should stop to get food before getting to the hotel."

"_Well, everyone's asleep right now_," Sango seemed to be thinking hard because her voice trailed off. "_I guess they won't mind if I take you guys to go get dinner._"

"Were you planning to eat together?" the younger girl asked as Reiki sighed in her sleep once again.

"_Well, no, because if we go out together, we're bound to get noticed by fans. It doesn't really matter Kagome, so don't worry yourself about it_."

"Alright, so I guess we'll see you in a little while."

"_Yeah, be safe_" and Kagome smiled because she could hear the smile in Sango's voice.

"We will."

Kagome shut the phone before reaching back blindly to hand it to Kohaku.

"She says that she'll take us out to get something to eat," Kagome told Kohaku and Souta as she turned down a busy one way street.

"Ok," Kohaku mumbled seemingly very deep in thought.

Kagome soon found the hotel and the adjoined parking deck and traveled up the stacked levels to find an empty parking space. As she parked, she was feeling anticipation fill her every limb. Turning to look at the girl who was asleep in the front seat she paused, startled to find that she was already awake.

Reiki sat there, reclined in what looked like a very comfortable position. Her right hand was tucked under her jaw and her knees were held close to her body by her free arm. Kagome smiled because she knew that only a girl of Reiki's size would be able to find comfort in the seat of a car. Green eyes were barely visible between half opened eyelids.

"Good to see you awake," Kagome joked and Reiki's eyes widened a bit more.

"The car stopped," Reiki explained before straightening out a little bit. Leaning forward she slipped on her shoes and turned to Kagome.

"Are we where we need to be?" she asked before taking a sip from her water bottle.

"Yeah," Kagome answered, "Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I don't know; just that you're not running around all crazy-like looking for Sango."

Kohaku and Souta snickered and Kagome rolled her eyes at them.

"Let's go, you guys," she harrumphed to take the attention away from her now blazing cheeks.

The four of them made it down the surprisingly large elevator from the parking deck to the hotel and went down a long hallway to get to the lobby. The hotel wasn't as extravagant as Kagome thought it would be, but it was still notably amazing. The lobby was certainly a sight to behold. In the center of the lobby there was a view to an area downstairs that seemed to be set off from the rest of the building. A strategically dispersed pool was circumscribed by elegantly set tables. On an island in the center of the shallow pool was a grand piano, shining in onyx grandeur. Kagome had to tear her eyes away from the sight because Kohaku dropped his bag.

She turned to see the boy walk quickly over to a lone figure standing against the wall. This person was dressed in dark clothes and black Ray-Ban sunglasses. (1) Their hair was tucked into a gray and black stripped beanie which went with the thin gray zip-up sweater and black skinny jeans. Kagome's eyes widened substantially when Kohaku stood before this person for a split second before slipping his arms around their torso and hugging them mercilessly. Instantly, Kagome realized it was Sango. She'd never seen Sango wear clothes so fitting ever since she woke up from her second coma—it just wasn't her style.

Dragging along her suitcase, she made it up just in time to hear Sango say, "I've missed you so much, bro," before she released him. Sango turned towards her and pulled her sunglasses down her nose a slight amount to gaze at Kagome with mischievous green eyes. A sexy smirk slipped onto her lips and Kagome broke out into her own smile. She moved forward to give Sango a hug.

"Oh, I've been waiting for this for so long," Sango mumbled and Kagome could only smile and take in all that was Sango. She took a deep breath reveling in the scent and feel that were both factors of her girlfriend.

"I want to kiss you so badly, but I don't want to bring attention to us," Kagome mumbled and Sango nodded. Pulling back Sango kept her arm around Kagome's shoulder.

"Plus, I need to greet my other visitors," Sango smiled politely.

"Hey Reiki," she said loud enough for the younger girl to hear. Reiki seemed to be assessing her and managed a quiet "Hi" before Sango turned her attention to the other boy of the group.

"Souta, what's up?"

The younger boy replied, "Nothing much," before shrugging and adjusting the strap to his backpack.

"You guys must be hungry," Sango said before motioning to a bellboy who stood close by. She motioned to the bags her guests had with them and he rushed over and started to carefully load them onto a buggy.

"Take that stuff to the other room that we have that's empty," she spoke gently before slipping him, what seemed to be, a large note. Kagome watched as he nodded and quickly headed off with their things.

"Let's go," Sango said, reluctantly moving away from Kagome. She frowned momentarily and Kagome did too. She was kind of starting to dislike Sango's celebrity status but then Sango smiled gently at her and those dark thoughts slipped from her mind. It wasn't like Sango couldn't spend time with her at all.

Quickly, her hand shot out and grabbed Sango's, stopping her from advancing towards the exit. Kagome pulled Sango close and let her hand slip up onto her cheek. Her palms felt very warm in comparison to the smooth skin of Sango's face. She tugged the older girl's ear lightly and beckoned her forward.

"Hmm, Kagome, let's not make a scene," Sango mumbled in a low voice.

"I know," Kagome whispered gently. Sango took a deep intake of air once she felt Kagome's lips against her ear.

"What are you up to?" Sango mumbled once again glad that she could somehow hide part of her euphoric expression behind her sunglasses.

"I just thought I'd tell you that you look absolutely stunning. You fill out those jeans so well; I miss your eyes, but those sunglasses are hot anyways," Kagome said before pushing Sango back.

A soft tint appeared on Sango's cheeks and the older girl patted them gently with a slight smirk on her lips. Kagome giggled and Sango laughed gently. The other three stared on, slightly confused due to the fact that they couldn't hear the exchange.

"Come on," Sango beckoned as she headed out of the door with a huge smile on her face.

* * *

Lunch went by uneventfully. Kagome and Reiki were relatively quiet as Kokako bonded with his sister. Souta found himself involved in the conversation more than the others. Kagome watched Sango interact with the young boys, noticing she just had a way with the teens. They admired her; that was for sure. Kagome knew that she couldn't get that kind of admiration out of her younger brother.

Reiki's mind was occupied on her food, but not entirely. She was mostly thinking about the concert later that night. She was thinking about Rayne a lot too. The young, green eyed scholar didn't know why, but her mind had been plagued recently by the charismatic drummer. Her lugubrious thoughts of Kagome's rejection were lessening as her mind focused on Rayne more and more. Every time she saw the drummer's image somewhere, whether it be on someone's book bag or on TV, she had to stare and examine it.

The green eyed girl was one of many values and she knew it was better for her to get to know the girl on her own. She felt that the media portrayal of Rayne was a bit unfair because it was biased. She never got to see the thoughtful, intelligent Ray on TV. All she ever saw was the party animal who swore like a sailor. Rayne wasn't only that. Rayne was a lot of things. One thing the media did get right was her beauty and appeal. Most of the time, Reiki could hardly tear her eyes away from Rayne's dark alluring blue eyes.

Reiki nearly groaned in frustration; if a mere image could be so magnificent, how would she survive staring into the real deal? She didn't know, but she did know that she did want a chance to do so again which was why she finally decided to accompany Kagome and the boys on the trip. Plus, she didn't want Kagome to think she was avoiding her… which she had been. Reiki soon learned the truth of the saying, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

The younger girl had truly missed Kagome and the time they spent together. So what if Kagome was giving the musician that sat beside her the look _she_ wanted. So what if Kagome would never look at her _that_ way. As long as she still got to be around Kagome and experience her liveliness. That's all that mattered. Their friendship was all that matter and Reiki wasn't going to allow her mourning heart the chance to ruin that.

"Reiki?"

The younger girl snapped out of her deep reverie. She looked up to see Sango purse her lips.

"Are you alright?" the musician asked, concerned. All eyes turned onto her and Reiki blushed.

"Yeah, I'm fine… just a bit nervous about tonight I guess. I've never really been to a concert of this size before." Such an easy lie.

"Well I'm sure you'll like it," a voice sounded from behind her. Reiki tensed up and Sango's lips split into a grin.

"Hey Ray; fancy meeting you here," Sango smirked.

Reiki's heart was pounding in her chest. It was Rayne. The girl she'd seen in her thoughts a lot more than she'd deem normal. The girl with the brilliant eyes that made her legs weak.

"Oh, I was just out and about. Getting my hair done for tonight, you know, the usual. Kikyo said I'd find you here," Rayne said pulling a chair up from a nearby vacant table. The area was empty; secluded for the comfort of the band. Sango was glad fame had its perks; she knew she could handle raving fans, but wasn't so sure Kagome could. She was mighty shy when it came down to it.

As Rayne sat next to Reiki, the younger girl's breath hitched in her throat. She glanced to her left to see that the blonde's hair was indeed sporting more vibrant colors than before. Streaks of blue, red, and purple colored her bangs as well as the tips of her hair. Blue eyes turned onto her and her cheeks began to burn.

"Hey Reiki," Rayne greeted with a smile. "I'm glad you decided to come."

Reiki merely nodded and looked away. Kagome's knowing blue eyes met hers briefly and her blush intensified. Rayne frowned slightly to see that Reiki had once again, decided to ignore her.

"Kikyo's going to be pissed to see that you aren't disguised," Sango pointed out.

"Ah, fuck her. As if I'd want to walk around looking like a suicide bomber. I think the disguises are far too suspicious to be effective," Rayne complained, brushing off the threat.

"I agree, though, I kind of like this one," Sango said with her eyes quickly connecting with Kagome's.

Rayne cocked an eyebrow upwards and chuckled, understanding. Kagome had probably commented on Sango's tight jeans; they _were_ pretty hot.

"Sango, please, there are children present."

"Don't you have something to do?" Sango muttered with a blush.

"Well, I know when I'm not welcome. I just thought I'd pop in and say hello before I made a mad dash to the hotel to escape the raving fans."

"That's what you get for not wearing a disguise."

Rayne sighed and pulled out a pair of designer sunglasses from her pants pocket. Putting them on, she smirked.

"There," she said smugly. "I'll see you later Sango."

As Rayne was making her retreat, she suddenly remembered something.

"Ah, actually. I remember what I really came here for. I was actually looking for you. Can you come outside for a moment?" she asked hesitantly.

* * *

Sango sighed heavily after hearing the news. As if her day wasn't already stressful. She was dreading the confrontation that awaited her at the hotel. What was Kikyo doing, anyways, allowing that girl to talk to her?

"Sango, are you going to be ok?" Rayne asked as the older girl removed her hat and ran her hand through her hair a few times. It was messy, of course, but it was a decent messy and she could handle that. She'd read on a blog online that her fans found her quite irresistible when her hair was all messed up.

"Yeah, I just… I don't know. I don't want her to see Kagome… not yet at least because I know she'll be at the show tonight. Plus, I mean, Kagome doesn't need to start worrying about old girlfriends of mine."

Rayne nodded, understanding.

"I don't want to face her alone though. Will you come with me?"

"Of course," Rayne replied and Sango smiled gratefully.

"How did she get Kikyo's approval?" Sango sighed, really not wanting to leave Kagome and the others alone. Of course they could take care of themselves, but she hated that her time with them was being cut into. She'd only had this small amount of time to spend with them before a rigorous rehearsal and then the show. Now she'd have to wait until the opening act is onstage to see them again.

"Well, apparently she's a photographer for some magazine. I wasn't really listening; I just recognized the name and thought I should warn you before you headed back to the hotel where she's waiting."

"Thanks Ray," Sango bit her lip. "I guess I should go say goodbye then."

Sango headed back into the secluded area of the restaurant. When Kagome's eyes met hers, she couldn't help but frown. Kagome made a move to stand but she stopped her, quickly.

"Hey, guys, something has come up at the hotel and Rayne and I need to leave. I hate to leave so abruptly," Sango said quickly as she moved over to the table.

"Oh… um, that's ok," Kagome said with a worried look in her eyes.

"I'll see you all tonight then," Sango offered a brilliant smile and gave Kohaku a quick hug. Turning to her left she kissed Kagome quickly on the cheek. As Sango pulled away, she saw the longing in Kagome's eyes. The blue eyed girl quickly smiled and hid that deep inside.

"Bye Sango," she said, before tugging at some of her dark black hair. "Bye Rayne."

Rayne blushed; surprised that Kagome even said anything to her. "Yeah, bye," she said awkwardly before turning to leave. Sango followed after her with a frown tugging at her lips.

* * *

The green eyed musician followed behind Rayne absently as they got into the car that was waiting for them. Sango barely registered that Rayne had told the driver to take them to the hotel.

"Hey, Sango?"

The green eyed girl looked up at the sound of her name.

"What do you think she wants? Like really? I mean, I'm sure she knows who she's asked to talk to."

"Oh, I don't know," Sango murmured, suddenly realizing that she could be heading into a very emotional problem.

They pulled up to the hotel and the girls got out of the car. They both headed into the lobby glancing around for the girl they knew was waiting for them. Rayne pulled off her sunglasses and tucked them into a pocket of her cargos. She spotted the girl sitting in a chair off to the left of the front desk and turned to Sango to point her out. Sango, however, was already ahead of her.

Green eyes stared towards the girl who she hadn't seen in years. The memories came flooding back and the girl looked up before smiling lightly. She stood and Sango turned to Rayne.

"Ray, can you call InuYasha and ask him to pick everyone up from the restaurant? Also ask him if he can entertain them; take them shopping or something. I'll be up to the room later," she said to her best friend and band mate. Rayne nodded, understanding that Sango realized she needed to talk to this woman on her own.

Sango turned very quickly and walked up to the blonde that stood waiting for her. She was certainly still as striking as ever. The blonde had matured quite the bit, and Sango had been expecting it. She knew it wouldn't be the same girl from high school. Her figure was to die for and the short skirt she wore did her long, endless legs some justice; she was just about Kagome's height. Her golden hair was long and wavy, framing her just right.

The girl reached up and brushed her bangs to the right and they seemed to flip just a little. Her thin pink lips split into a generous smile to reveal strikingly white teeth.

"Hey Sango, long time no see," she said as her brilliant blue eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Hey Janis. What brings you here?" Sango asked before taking a seat. Janis sat in the chair next to hers. (2)

"Well, I came to see the concert. I'm actually supposed to be writing an article on it for a local paper."

"Oh… so you're a journalist, and not a photographer?"

"Um, yeah," she said smiling. Sango nearly laughed when she realized Rayne had gotten the information wrong. "I was so happy to hear that I'd be allowed to talk to you because of my press pass. You've changed so much."

"You too," Sango replied with a thoughtful look in her eye. Was Janis still with Hojo?

As if reading Sango's mind Janis said, "Hojo and I broke up years ago."

"Oh," the green eyed musician replied, "What's he up to now?"

"He's actually a photographer for the newspaper I work for. He's supposed to be on this story too; I'm kind of dreading seeing him. I always get so nervous when I see him. We had a pretty bad break up."

"Oh," Sango said once more, rubbing at the nape of her neck. "Are you dating anyone now?"

Janis shook her head as she shut her eyes a bit too long to be considered as a blink. When her eyes opened again she sighed. "Nope; I'm not too sure if relationships are something I need. I always feel so… unsatisfied by them. How about you? I heard you've found yourself a lovely lady."

Sango smiled and her cheeks took on a light tint of pink. She lightly bit her lip, nodding all the while, "I was actually with her a few moments ago; you'll see her at the show. Hopefully, I can convince her to come on stage with me. She's kind of shy."

"Aww, well she sounds adorable. Will I get to talk to her after the concert?"

"You want to talk to her?" Sango was a bit confused. Why would Janis want to talk to Kagome?

"Well, you know, for the paper," Janis blushed, realizing that Sango had taken her question the wrong way. "I mean, if that's asking too much, I won't bother her." Her fingers lifted to bush her bangs to the right, once more.

"Ah, well I don't want Ka-" Sango quickly caught her tongue. "I don't want her to talk to the press so soon. Like I said before, she's shy and I don't want her to be too overwhelmed. She's just an everyday college student. I don't want our relationship to stress her out."

"Of course. I understand," Janis said with a smile.

Sango's eyes met Janis's briefly before she glanced away. She felt her heart shudder at the memory of Janis confessing to her that she was in love with someone else.

_Sango, at age sixteen, caught up with her girlfriend in the hallway._

"_Janis, I've been looking all over for you," she said with a smile as she walked with her towards the student parking lot. School was finally over; they could finally hang out together._

_The blonde looked startled as Sango fell in step beside her. The brunette offered to help the blonde with her books and she complied, handing over the text book and planner she held in her arms. Janis thanked Sango, as they stopped beside her car, with a slight blush. The brunette was so helpful and sweet._

_Smirking, Sango asked, "Will I see you later tonight?"_

_The blush that lit Janis's cheeks was bodacious. Sango loved when she blushed like that. It was as if the brunette lived to see the blonde's cheeks light up the way they do._

"_Yes," Janis blushed, looking away. "Actually, can you come over in a few hours; maybe around five?"_

"_Anything for you," Sango replied, so much in love. Her smile faltered when she saw the melancholy look in her favorite blue eyes. "Is… is everything alright?" she asked the blonde._

"_Oh, yeah, everything is fine," the girl replied, taking her books from Sango. She leaned forward and kissed her gently on the cheek and turned. She quickly got into her car and started it. "Bye Sango," she said from the window as she backed out of her parking space. Sango followed her with deep, thoughtful green eyes. She felt that something was just not right._

_That feeling proved true after she arrived at Janis's house. The blonde's father is out and Sango makes it her duty to make Janis feel loved. They're in her room, sitting on her bed watching television. Sango's hand snakes over and around the blonde's waist. Janis looked up, looking a little startled._

"_Have I ever told you how much I love you?" Sango mumbled as she pressed her lips into the other girl's neck._

"_Every day," Janis whispered her reply._

"_Good," Sango mumbled before kissing the girl on the lips. Sango eventually kissed the girl into a laying position. Bent over her in a protective manner Sango pulled back slightly. Her eyes bore into Janis's and suddenly tears filled the blue eyes staring back at her._

"_Janis? What's wrong?"_

_The blonde shut her eyes and covered her face with her hands. As she began to sob, Sango pulled away in hopes of giving her some space._

"_Janis, come on, talk to me," she coaxed, helping the girl sit up. Blonde hair fell forward over the girl's shoulder and Sango reached forward and brushed her hair out of her face._

"_Sango, I'm so sorry," Janis finally sputtered. "I'm so sorry."_

"_What are you talking about? Why are you apologizing to me?" she offered a slight smile, still confused by what was going on. Reaching forward, she gathered the blonde in her arms._

"_I'm sorry," Janis muttered pushing Sango away. She stood, biting her lip with a strange determination in her miserable blue eyes. "I… have to do this… I can't keep lying to you… I can't keep hurting you this way."_

_Fear struck Sango's heart as her chest began to ache slightly. Worry filled her mind as she just stared at her girlfriend._

"_Janis, what's wrong?" Sango asked in a surprisingly calm manner._

"_I'm sorry Sango… I just… I don't love you… Not like I used to anyways." The blue eyed girl took a deep breath, shuddering as she did so. Tears burned Sango's eyes and a strange numbness seeped into her limbs._

"_I want to be with Hojo. I don't want to be with you anymore. You've been really good to me, but it's been… I've been lying to you. I want to be with him. I want a boyfriend. I can't do this with you anymore," she pressed out. Her eyes, still flowing with tears, gazed hesitantly at Sango._

_The brunette merely stood and walked past the blonde. With tears filling her green eyes, she walked out of the house and headed home. Once getting there, she locked herself in her room, much to the worry of her little brother, and cried herself to sleep._

"Sango?"

The musician was drawn from her reverie. Her eyes met Janis's questioning her intent. What did she want? Was her story true to its word? Or did she want more than that?

"I'm really sorry about what happened back in high school. It was really… terrible of me to break up with you the way I did. I…. I'm just really sorry."

Sango took a deep breath and offered a small smile, "It's ok. People break up."

"I know but… I know I really hurt you. And then, I wasn't even happy with Hojo. I regretted it every moment after the first week. I knew what I'd done was irreversible though."

"Yeah, you hurt me. It's true. I was pretty upset for a while, but then, after I moved, I met… well, _her,_" Sango replied, still as aware about not revealing Kagome's identity. Not yet, however.

"After I met her, I was fine," Sango smiled, continuing.

Janis then realized that Sango was _really_ in love with the girl she was with. The musician wouldn't even bat an eye at her. Smiling, the blonde's cobalt blue eyes became very wet.

"I'm so happy you're happy, Sango. Anyways, sorry for taking your precious time away from you. Good luck at the show tonight," she offered, standing up. Sango stood too and smiled politely at her.

"I hope you enjoy yourself tonight, as well. I'll see you later," Sango replied before exiting the lobby into the elevator. She was undoubtedly happy, for some reason. She accredited that to Janis for reminding her why she was so happy—Kagome.

Being in love does that to you.

* * *

1- Woohoo for Ray-bans. I think their "Wayfarer" line is wayyyyy cool. R. Pattinson wore a pair in the Twilight movie. *beings to gush over Robert and every other hot person in the movie that did the book no justice* haha  
2- If you don't remember Janis (though, I'm not really expecting you to) check out chapter 13 of Forgotten Memories (the first one, lol.)

A/N: Thank you for reading. Once again, I apologize for taking SOOOOO LONG to update. I was hoping that the holiday spirit and the generous length of the chapter might make up for that. *chough* anyways, The next chapter will be about the concert and the lovers getting a little cozy in bed ;D. Special thanks for those who stayed with me this whole time with my erratic updating schedule. I know how annoying and frustrating it is when authors abandon their stories.

Thanks for reading. Review please,  
Enigmatic Ethereality


	16. Chapter 15: It All Falls Into Place

**A/N:** So, I could always sit here and say I have a good reason for not updating for over 6 months, but I don't. So I can only apologize for taking so long to update. I'm a douche, I know. lol, so here's the chapter. and if anyone needs a summary:

Sango and Kagome got back together, and now Kagome, Reiki, Souta and Kohaku have gone on tour with the band. Reiki and Rayne (Sango's ex, and the drummer for the band) are showing that they like one another.

**Rated: Mature for mature themes/situations, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any other copyrighted materials. Just the plot, Reiki, and Rayne.**

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* * *

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Chapter 15: It All Falls Into Place

Her mind was wandering as she heard Sango play a few riffs on her guitar. She wondered just how, exactly, the band members managed to remember all of their songs for the concert. Kagome knew that all of them must've had a superb memory. Maybe they remembered because of repetition; that's how all musicians prepared for their concerts, right? In any case, it was amazing; truly amazing.

Glancing to her left, she found Reiki staring out onto the stage as well. The younger girl's green eyes were glued onto Ray's form. Kagome knew it were only a matter of time until Reiki would finally confess to Rayne. She just hoped Rayne would confess before then, just to chip at Reiki's stubbornness.

It really amazed her how much like herself Reiki was.

"Kagome?" Reiki began, startling the blue eyed scholar.

"Yes?" Kagome asked, as Reiki turned to give her her attention. A blush streaked across her cheeks and Kagome knew that Reiki finally wanted to acknowledge her attraction to Rayne.

"I… um, well I like Rayne… a little… and I was wondering what you think my chances are… of, well, I don't know. I want to tell her, but I'm really scared."

Kagome wanted to coo over how cute Reiki was. _Finally_ the girl was going to admit her feelings. But… did she not notice how much Rayne liked her, Kagome wondered. It was quiet obvious, but maybe Reiki was too busy moping to realize it.

"Rei, I think you have very high chances," Kagome encouraged. "In fact, I bet if you went up to her right now, and kissed her, she'd kiss you right back."

"Kagome, wouldn't she kiss _anyone_ back?"

The blue eyed girl wanted to burn every magazine that portrayed Rayne as a sex craving, opportunistic fiend. She really wasn't like that entirely, she didn't think. Sighing, Kagome shrugged her shoulders, not knowing Rayne enough to answer that question for Reiki.

"I think, if you really want to know, you should talk to Sango, but I guess that'd have to wait until after the show if you wanted a thorough answer."

Reiki nodded, eyes back on the drummer who was carrying a steady and catchy rhythm.

Kagome was anxious to see things work out for the girl. She wanted her to be happy.

As the opening band finished up their set with their last song, Sango felt adrenaline fill her blood. She watched from off stage with Kagome who was immersed in the music completely. If this wasn't the most exciting moment of her life, she wouldn't know what was.

"Thanks so much for being an awesome crowd," the lead singer said into the microphone, gaining applause. "Now I know you've all been waiting for Kirara. I'd just like to say, before they get out here to take the stage, that they're a pleasure to be on tour with."

Another roar of applause blasted towards the stage.

"Alright, enough of me talking. I'm going to hand this shit over to Sango now!"

Kagome had never heard a cheer so loud in her life.

Sango smiled and winked at her before running onto the stage herself. She set Hiraikotsu on a guitar stand that stood next to her mic-stand.

She stood center stage, soaking it all up with a cocky grin on her lips.

"Hey," she said, in an attempt to command some attention. "Hey! Good evening Charlotte!"

Another shattering cheer erupted and the rest of the band headed out on stage, making last minute adjustments to their instruments.

"I said, good evening Charlotte!" Sango said a bit louder, requesting more of a welcome. She was rewarded with what she was looking.

"Hell yeah," she sighed, taking it in.

Kikyo began retuning her instrument; Kagome knew from the rehearsals that Sango would talk a little and they would begin playing the song while she was going it.

"So, I know a lot of y'all are here to see my girlfriend; she's amazing. I think y'all will like her. Do you think you'll like her?" she asked, colloquially. The blue eyed girl knew this was a technique Sango used to calm herself—if she conversed with the audience this way, she'd feel more comfortable with them. They'd be on the level of supporting friends, not adoring fans here to judge here; then again, Kagome knew that Sango's fans would _never_ judge her.

Kagome was startled to hear a majority of cheers, despite the fact a few boos came after the dwindling screaming.

"Hey? Play nice," the green eyed girl chided as Hakudoshi checked his strings. The familiar tune began and the audience voiced they approval with another uproar. The stage lights faded from blue to green.

Rayne burst in with rolling drum bursts and Hakudoshi played a simple guitar melody. Sango wouldn't be playing her guitar for this song as she smiled and started singing.

The song was a bit mellow, so Kagome wasn't flat out head-banging or dancing, but she was enjoying it nonetheless. Sango was simply amazing on stage. She was energetic and engaging—the crowd was really getting into it. The blue eyed girl could hardly keep her eyes off of the form of her girlfriend up on stage, strutting around the way she was.

The younger girl was enthralled by the curves of Sango's hips, fit snugly within the band of her black cargo pants. No doubt she was feeling a bit overheated in them; it was hot out, yet it wasn't humid. She was, however, moving about a considerable amount and she was sure to be feeling uncomfortable.

After a few songs, Sango was breathing hard and the rest of her bandmates seemed to be needing a break. They'd be done with the show soon, for sure.

"You know, I was thinking about getting my favorite girl out on stage with me but…"

The sound of the crowd drowned out her tired voice.

"But she's kind of shy, you know?"

Kagome knew she was goading the crowd to fill them with anticipation.

"I think if you cheer for her a little more, she might come out," she smirked and Kagome's heart raced, not because she was trying to get her to come out on stage in front of a ridiculously large crowd, but because of how beautiful she looked when she smiled—if not with a sexy smirk.

The crowd erupted.

It was then Kagome began to feel nervous. Sango made eye contact with her and her palms felt that little bit less sweaty.

Rayne was, at the moment, trying her hardest not to laugh. It all seemed like one of those bad, interactive, kids' shows that tried to get the kids to be involved in the program. Those shows always annoyed her; that and they kind of creeped her out too. One night, when she was drunk, she had watched one of those shows and actually believed that the character could actually see her and hear her. That had been one hell of a night for her.

"Come on out babe," Sango requested and Kagome shook her head, already feeling embarrassed. Stepping out onto that stage would be stepping out in front of the world as Sango's girlfriend. Was she really ready for that?

"Aw, come on," Sango smiled, encouragingly, while offering a hand.

Kagome huffed and then took a deep breath before stepping out into the stage. The lights were blinding, and if she focused properly on the goal standing before her, she could pretend it was just her and Kirara on stage. Everyone else would disappear—she could hardly see them anyways.

That was until her ears began to tremble with the might of the crowd.

She walked the rest of the distance before grabbing onto Sango's hand. Kagome moved closer, certainly feeling the crippling intensity of her situation. The green eyed musician was only supportive, loosely wrapping her arm around the younger girl's waist. Sango leant forward to whisper only a few words.

"Soak it all in."

Kagome wondered, "Soak what in?!" She was amazed by the fact that Sango seemed to thrive off of what was paralyzing her to the spot. It was truly a talent to not be inflicted by stage fright—that or a gift.

"Hey," Sango said, trying to calm the crowd down. "Hey, give me a second."

It took a long while for them to stop chattering it seemed. Even when Sango was speaking, it was obvious a large portion of the crowd was still talking.

"This here is Kagome; some of you, if you're proper stalkers, may know a little about her already because we've dated before."

A few boos erupted and Kagome only pressed her face into Sango's shoulder even more. So she, herself, wasn't the only one who hated her for cheating on Sango. The blue eyed girl just didn't understand how Sango could be so forgiving.

"Look, what's done is done. Whatever happened in our past is where it needs to be and we've moved past that. We love each other," Sango smiled. "And though you can't love her as much as I do, I'm sure you'll like her a lot."

"Kagome, you can head back now," Sango said while pulling away. She kissed Kagome briefly on the lips before the girl walked off stage quickly, waving shyly.

An approving cheer was heard and Sango was satisfied. That break had been a bit short, but she was sure everyone was ready to continue. With a glance around at her band, and an approving nod from Rayne, she prompted the start of the second to last song.

After the show it was a hassle for the band to get their guests back to the hotel. Reporters and photographers were constantly in their faces with questions and blinding flashes. Sango had warned Kagome not to speak and the blue eyed girl was doing a fine job at it, thought she wasn't too sure if she were being obedient or if she was just somewhat petrified.

On the way up to their rooms, Sango kept Kagome in the elevator with the band while the others got off. Kagome blushed, knowing that Sango had probably planned for her to stay with her that night.

Once they got to their room Sango immediately pushed her up against the door she shut. Kagome suddenly felt a creeping feeling of déjà vu, but brushed that away knowing that it wasn't merely déjà vu—Sango just liked to get things started this way.

A hot, seeking kiss was forced upon her mouth and she took it gently, trying to slow Sango's tempo.

"You are the most beautiful girl I've ever had the pleasure of falling in love with," Sango smiled as she pressed her nose into Kagome's neck.

"You flatter me," Kagome blushed as Sango pulled away with a devious smirk.

"I need a shower… Join me?"

* * *

Rayne shifted on her feet outside of a room floors beneath her own. She was on a mission and refused to fail it in any way. She would walk away victorious, she promised herself that. Knocking gently, she waited for it to be answered patiently.

It was Kohaku who answered the door, and he looked a bit disgruntled—no doubt half awake.

"Hey kid," she greeted.

"Wha? Oh, hey Ray," he replied rubbing at his face with his hands. His eyebrows became dishelved and Rayne found this somewhat cute. (1)

"Yeah, is Reiki up?"

Kohaku shook his head and Rayne peered past him into the living room of the suite. It was vacant and dark, with only the TV on illuminating parts of the room in a faint blue glow.

"Oh… Um, can I come in?"

"Sure," he shrugged and let the girl in. "I'm really tired, so I'm going to bed now."

"Ok," she nodded, watching him head into his room. There were two beds and she was a sleeping figure on one. No doubt that was Souta… so that meant that Reiki was asleep in the room on the other side of the suite. She glanced over at the shut door and debated going inside, but then reasoned that perhaps the girl would be mad about her intruding. What if she slept in a state that was less than decent, she'd be too embarrassed to listen to anything the drummer had to say.

Rayne finally decided to just knock on the door and took a few moments to do so. Silence met her ears and she fought hard to keep fatigue and disappointment away from herself. It was ok if Reiki didn't answer. That was expected because of the late time.

"Rayne?" a tired voice met her ears.

The drummer looked down to see Reiki staring up at her with tired green eyes and a perplexed look on her face. The green eyed girl had her hair in two pigtails and Rayne wondered if they were still damp from her shower.

Her voice caught in her throat as she attempted to explain why she was there. It was obvious Reiki was slowly waking up, for her eyes were becoming more aware and her posture was straightening.

"I… umm," the blonde blushed, feeling stupid for coming down at this hour as she rubbed at the lose hair at the nape of her neck. "I want to talk to you."

It was obvious that the younger girl wished to ask what about, but she kept it in, flipped on the lights in her room, and let Rayne in by stepping aside. As Rayne ventured further into the room she noted that Reiki had shut the door and tried to think nothing of it.

"What did you want to talk about? Reiki asked taking a seat on the edge of her bed. The other bed was vacant, never touched. Rayne mused over what Sango and Kagome could possibly be doing in Sango's personal suite for the girl to not be back by now. That humorous thought only served to distract her from what was at hand for a little while.

"Well, I'm no pussy, so I'm just going to come out and say it straight… well, as straight as something this gay can be said," the drummer blushed, her cheeks tinting pink. "I like you."

Reiki took a minute to process the information until she giggled, unreasonably adorably (in Rayne's opinion) and smiled at the drummer.

"Well that's good, because I like you too."

"Reiki, I'm not talking about 'I approve of your friendship', or some shit like that. I mean that I _like_ you. 'Like you' as in want to try stuff with you."

The moment those words left her mouth, she felt as if she had said something terribly wrong, perhaps even stupid. The look on Reiki's face confirmed that for the girl's eyebrows furrowed dangerously, and though Rayne found her facial expression very cute (as she did everything about Reiki), she knew she had compromised her mission.

"Look, I don't know what you're thinking. I'm no slut, ok?"Reiki seemed very mad.

"Reiki, I'm sorry," Rayne sputtered. "That came out all wrong."

"Here I was thinking that the tabloids had you wrong, but _I _was the wrong one."

Ouch. Rayne frowned, taking that blow deep. She took a step backwards, prepared to just leave until she gathered her wits. She had traveled to this room with a purpose—to let Reiki know how she felt about her—and she wasn't going to just leave without accomplishing that. She wasn't going to let some stupid insult like that break her down.

"Look, I didn't…" she shook her head, and started over with a huge sigh. "You don't really believe all of that shit, do you? Haven't you ever done something that people judged you for without getting to know you?"

When Reiki looked away and failed to answer Rayne sighed again.

"Ok; fine," Rayne shrugged, holding back the numbness in her chest. "I can live with that, I guess, that's how the world is, right?"

As Rayne began her retreat Reiki called out, "Wait."

The blue eyed girl looked back to see Reiki looking down at her lap.

"I have… I mean, that's happened to me before…"

Rayne was just about to question that because surely Reiki couldn't do anything to cause people to judge her. Before she could ask, however, Reiki beat her to the explanation.

"Back in high school… I was pretty wild. I was constantly at parties and I drank and… I did a lot of things with guys that I'm not proud of. I was known as the party girl," she smiled wryly at that. "Well, one of my really great guy friends—like, my best friend—he figured since I was known for being wild and promiscuous, he had a right to take advantage of me. He was drunk, of course, but I knew… I knew that this hadn't been a drunken decision. He took me to a party and lured me into a room with him. I was fine with it, at first, because I liked him more than a friend. But then, he started touching me in ways he shouldn't have and I didn't want our first time together to be that way because I _really_ did like him. And then he got aggressive, and I knew I had to run away. When I got to the door, unlocked it, and tried to run away I found that someone was on the other side, holding it shut. (2)

"My _best_ friend had organized a plan to rape me if I didn't submit to him… I eventually escaped the room after screaming and banging on the door. There was a lot of drama after that and a court case and restraining orders were filed. After that… I realized that peoples' perception of me was not good, and I left that lifestyle because I knew I wasn't really that kind of girl inside. It was tough for me, though, because of my history; I wasn't a very credible person and this guy was someone who volunteered and was always helping people, got good grades, was in a church youth group. It was my word against his. The slut against the good Samaritan."

Rayne watched as tears fell from Reiki's eyes.

"No one believed there was even the slightest goodness in me."

Sitting down, Rayne wrapped her arms around the younger girl cautiously. Once she realized it was ok, she pulled her close to her and pressed her cheek against the top of the other girl's damp head. She pulled away trying to think of something comforting to say. When that failed, she braved to kiss the younger girl on the cheek.

"I'm sorry you went through something like that," Rayne mumbled into her ear.

Reiki didn't reply, she merely turned her face and kissed Rayne soundly on the lips. The blonde drummer kissed her back, softly, as if to gently say "I know there's goodness in you."

When they stopped kissing Rayne tried hard to not listen to the silence.

"I'm sorry for getting mad at you earlier," the green eyed girl said, pressing her nose into Rayne's neck.

"It's ok," the blonde girl replied tiredly. It only took them a few moments to fall back into the bed and fall asleep in one another's arms.

The next morning Kagome returned to her room. Reiki was sleeping soundly in bed and she took this opportunity to get dressed. She sat on her bed and turned the TV on and muted it as well as to not wake up the sleeping girl. As her eyes absently took in the images on the screen, her mind was on her night with Sango…

Her heart sped up just thinking about how firmly Sango had handled her last night. Her face flushed and she knew that there were many nights as such, for her, during her stay with Kirara. She couldn't help smiling and fell back into the bed with a stupid grin on her face.

Holy fuck, Sango was something else.

Rayne stirred and Kagome glanced over at the sleeping girl. The younger girl looked extremely content as she slept in the bed. When her green eyes cracked open, slightly, and she took a little while to take everything in. Suddenly, she sat up, and began to do something like search… but for what. After a short moment of looking around she sighed and yawned cutely.

"Morning Rei," Kagome said with a smile.

"Good morning," Reiki replied before returning the smile. "I'm guessing you never made it back last night."

The blue eyed girl blushed before mumbling her response, "No, not really."

"How romantic," Reiki said softly. Her eyes met Kagome's and both girls began to laugh.

"So, I hear we're traveling tonight to the beach," Kagome said with a slight smile. "You like the beach right?"

"Um, yeah, I guess. How are we getting there?"

"We're flying."

"Oh, joy and rapture," the smaller girl said sarcastically. Kagome took this as a hint that Reiki did not enjoy flying.

"Aw, Rei, you'll be fine," Kagome smiled. "Sango said we should pack up now, get dressed, and enjoy our last day here. Apparently there is a really awesome mall around here as well as an amusement park. Our flight leaves at eight."

* * *

Concerned about her friend's enjoyment, Kagome watched Reiki diligently during their outing. Reiki wasn't too engaged in shopping, but Kagome supposed she wasn't an avid shopper—that was not to say that she didn't dress well, but more like she didn't shop unless she needed to. That was understandable and Kagome understood better than anyone else because it was a struggle without the other half of her parental duo (or in Sango's case, an inheritance and a sporadic multimillion dollar career).

Sango and Rayne promised to cover whatever the girls wanted, and of course Sango had the obligation to purchase clothes for her little brother. Both students flat out refused to be spoiled. The moment Reiki said no, Rayne left her alone. Sango, on the other hand, was persistent and pretty much forced Kagome to pick out outfits.

All of this was going on while the mall goers were becoming more and more aware of their presence. Soon enough, there were enough fans following them to cause alarm and the group left after Kikyo decided that was best.

The trip to the amusement park was a bit better than the shopping trip. Everyone was in good spirits, even Kikyo. There were a lot of great roller coasters there. After about five rides though, Kikyo decided she had had enough. One ride later, Reiki as well. The rest of the group attempted to continue enjoying the park, but after a while they began to worry about how Kikyo was treating Reiki.

"We really did leave the fire breathing dragon with the lamb," Sango chuckled as the group approached them after spotting them at a table with one another. It looked like Kikyo had gotten the both of them lunch and they were relaxing in the shade the large umbrella that covered the table.

Kikyo looked up in surprised and Reiki blushed. Kikyo's dark eyes met Rayne's and the drummer automatically knew that Reiki had talked to Kikyo about "them"… was there even a them? Reiki hadn't acted like it at all, but neither had Rayne (but only because she felt that Reiki didn't want anyone to know). The two had confused one another—their communication wasn't the greatest.

"Is everything alright?" Kagome asked, sensing tension in the air.

"Just fine," Kikyo said, standing. "Has everyone had their fill of the headache machines?"

Reiki giggled and Kikyo smiled at her. Sango glanced at Rayne only to see a look of jealousy in her eyes. Rayne turned around quickly and started off.

"We should probably head over to the airport now," she said and Sango nodded in agreement, opting to walk beside Rayne to talk to her.

As the musician turned back to check if Kagome was alright with it and Kagome gave a hesitant nod. With a wide smile, Sango turned back around and flung her arm over Reiki's shoulder.

"What's up, Ray?"

"Nothing," the drummer mumbled and Sango rolled her eyes.

"I see you being jealous about Kikyo and Reiki. Why would you be though? Kikyo and InuYasha are sure to be getting engaged any time soon, so why would you be jealous? I think that it's good Kikyo can find it in herself to be nice to someone."

"I… oh, I don't know," Rayne sighed, thoroughly annoyed with herself. "I guess I'm just beating myself up about not staying with Reiki when she said she was tired of roller coasters."

"Is that all?" Sango did seem convinced. She glanced backwards to make sure the rest of the group weren't close enough to hear. Kikyo's eyes were burning a hole into Rayne's back.

"Yes," Rayne said tightly. "And if that bitch doesn't stop staring at me, we're going to have a problem."

"Ray, relax, please," Sango muttered, squeezing her shoulder gently, as if to calm her.

"Seriously, I'm tired that shit."

Sango could tell that this was going to be a problem. When the band first formed, Rayne often blew up at Kikyo for staring at her smugly when she was being chastised or if things weren't going her way. Rayne had somehow gained a sixth sense, for should could always tell when Kikyo was looking at her. Sango wanted to call it "paranoia with luck" but she wasn't so sure anymore.

"Ray, cool it," Sango said firmly and Rayne yanked away from her.

When the blue eyed drummer turned around, Kikyo was talking to Reiki again, and this infuriated Rayne. Kikyo looked up at Rayne smugly, and the blue eyed girl was suddenly heated with anger. She stopped walking and turned around.

Reiki looked at her in confusion with a soft blush on her cheeks. She and Kikyo stopped walking because Rayne was standing in the way and Kagome caught up with Sango.

"What is it now, Rayne?" Kikyo sighed, somewhat annoyed with the drama that seemed to be brewing.

"I want to walk with Reiki, is that a problem?" the drummer stated with a blush.

"No," Kikyo gave a sly smirk. "Not at all."

Kikyo left the two along and began to walk with Hakudoshi and the boys who had just walked past them.

The two girls turned and followed after the group. Rayne had really wanted to hold Reiki's hand, but she still wasn't sure if she wanted anyone to know. She decided against it and instead walked in silence with the younger girl—certainly not as enjoyable as holding hands, but it would have to do for the time being. Strangely, Reiki was ok with Rayne not holding her hand. She wasn't even sure about what they were to one another. And would she be able to handle the paparazzi? Would she be able to handle the tabloids and sudden fame?

Reiki looked up shyly at Rayne and the blue eyed girl smiled at slightly with a faint blush of her own. One look into those oceanic, deep blue eyes was enough to make Reiki think that she could maybe handle all that there was about being a celebrity's girlfriend. Just maybe.

* * *

1-This happens to my little brother all the time, and it's so adorable.  
2-This happened to my friend before. Things were settled properly though, because unlike Reiki, she was a credible person.

**Once again, sorry, sorry, sorry! A special thanks to everyone who'll keep with me for this last chapter (I believe the next one should be the last one). Once again, sorry for taking so long to update,  
Enigmatic Ethereality**

* * *


	17. Chapter 16: Pulse

**A/N:** Last Chapter. I was thinking of adding in more pointless background on Rayne, but my writing has been a little off seeing as I've experienced near hell for the past week. Part of that (I'd say 30 percent) is my fault for thinking about things too deeply and too much. But that isn't to say that bad things have been happening to me consistently. I saw the midnight showing of Harry Potter. Best HP movie so far I think... Anyways, enough about my life. Please try to overlook the parts that are poorly written... I'll fix those later when I feel like I can.

**Rated: Mature for mature themes/situations, homosexuality, possible crude humor, and language.  
Disclaimer: I don't own InuYasha or any other copyrighted materials. Just the plot, Reiki, and Rayne.**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Pulse**

Sango watched in awe as Rayne bypassed her usual seat next to her on the private jet to sit elsewhere. Kagome thanked the blonde girl before sitting down next to Sango and Rayne shrugged it off before opening up a copy of the plane shopping magazine. She often found ridiculous things inside and laughed at them until she was allowed to put on her head phones.

The blonde girl was visibly disappointed when she saw that Kikyo offered Reiki a spot next to her.

Green eyes bet hers briefly before an apologetic smile was sent her way.

Rayne sighed and wondered how the hell Kikyo was so much more captivating than she was. Kikyo was cold and weird, and she was also somewhat annoying, if not bossy.

Hakudoshi sat next to her and the two young boys sat in the row across the aisle.

"Kagome, Reiki is sitting with Kikyo… why do you think that is?" Sango questioned in a whisper.

"Kikyo overhead me comforting Reiki before we got on the plane," Kagome explained to her. "Reiki is terrified of flying and I guess Kikyo offered to sit next to her to help."

"I wonder why Kikyo is being so nice to Reiki," the green eyed musician mused softly.

"It's hard not to be nice to her," Kagome mumble with a blush.

"I suppose so. She's very cute," Sango admitted and the two laughed softly to themselves.

As the plane took off, Rayne's eyes were glued to Reiki's huddled form and Kikyo's hand rubbing the younger girl's back soothingly. Envy raged within her and she wanted nothing more than to be the one comforting Reiki. With a pout she looked out of the window.

They still had yet to reach cruising altitude and Rayne was considering flipping through the magazines again until Souta spoke up.

"Hey, Rayne, I read in a magazine once that you beat box," the boy said expectantly.

Rayne glanced over, fully prepared to offer the boy some less than nice words until she saw Reiki peak at her briefly. The blonde blushed and decided to entertain the boys a little with her vocal percussion. Perhaps Reiki would find that interesting as well…

They were fully amazed by the sounds she could make but she refused to continue to entertain them once they got to cruising altitude and put on her headphones.

* * *

Once the plane stopped ascending, Reiki sighed a sigh of relief. Take off was always the worst part of the plane ride for her.

"How are you feeling?" Kikyo inquired with a kind smile.

"I'm alright. Thanks for asking. It wasn't as bad as I thought; I suppose you helped a great deal."

"Ah, well I'm glad to be of help… Planes, however spectacular, aren't completely flawless."

"Ah, but you have to admit, planes really are a wonder," Reiki said.

That was all it took to get them into a very vivid discussion about how planes fly and a fellow named Bernoulli.

Hakudoshi looked absolutely annoyed. What was with these girls who seemed to know every fucking thing on the planet?! He'd heard Kagome and Kikyo discussing wave frequency and strings on instruments and it nearly blew his mind.

Now, he wasn't a sexist and he wasn't an elitist of any kind, but it really bothered him, for some reason, that he kept meetings all of these women who seemed to have the upper hand on him. He used to take his unexpected intelligence and use that to convince women to date him. Now, while he was surrounded by super smart lesbians, he wondered if he'd even have a chance with them around.

Though, he hoped that the fact that he was a guy would still appeal to most girls.

And with that thought, he laughed at himself. His thoughts were pretty pointless in comparison to what was going on around him. Maybe he'd request to listen to music with Rayne; he'd left his MP3 player in the bag he checked in.

Rayne surprisingly offered her whole MP3 player to him when he asked, and he took it without questioning her.

With a soft sigh, the blue eyed drummer looked out of the window and into the darkness around the plane. Would she regret letting Hakudoshi borrow her music player?

Probably not. She'd probably be asleep in a few short moments. She shut her eyes and let the natural beat of her heart lull her to sleep.

She awoke to being jostled about and was startled to find that the plane was landing. She groaned, annoyed about being woken up, but what was there to do? Her mouth was pasty and her head hurt. She wasn't really in the mood for much of anything, which included how fond Reiki seemed to be of Kikyo (and vice versa).

She was frighteningly silent on her way off the plane. Hakudoshi stayed close, sensing the bad vibes and feeling as if he were in charge of keeping them at bay.

"Whoa, look at this!" Souta exclaimed as they were passing one of the shops that sounds snacks, candy, and magazines on the way to the baggage claim.

The young boy picked up a magazine and held it out to Kagome. On the front was a photo of Sango and her on stage. Kagome blushed at seeing herself and snatched that from her brother. She sifted through the pages quickly to find the article on the headline of "_Sango's favorite girl—the one who had the fans in an uproar"_. The article was surrounded by photos of her and Sango, some from before the band had even formed. There was even one from their days in high school with InuYasha, and Kagome felt slightly embarrassed because she looked extra geeky and young.

"Kagome," Sango spoke gently, concerned that maybe the article wouldn't be one of approval, "just put it down. We need to get our bags."

"I…" Kagome's eyes poured over the text swiftly and her eyes began to fill with tears.

"Come on," Sango sighed, pulled the magazine from her lax fingers. She laced her fingers with Kagome's, squeezing her hand gently. She'd have to find time to read the article later. She'd have a copy of the magazine delivered to the hotel they were staying at.

Reiki watched the two walk off with worry in her deep green eyes before stealing a glance at Rayne only to find the blonde watching her expectantly. She blushed and continued on, flustered.

* * *

Rayne hadn't even realized she had been doing it until Hakudoshi requested she stopped. She had been beating a rhythm with her fingers and hands in the van. Anything her finger tips could reach was fair game to become a makeshift drum. Hakudoshi became annoyed, as he always did, and finally asked her to stop. She stopped immediately, knowing how much it annoyed her band mates.

Of course, the two younger boys had been enthralled by what seemed to them to be a fantastic talent.

"Rayne, how'd you learn how to do that?" Kohaku wondered.

"Well, one day, when I was little, I really had nothing to do. Actually, that was pretty much every day for me. Life at the orphanage wasn't all that great. So I was just sitting in my room gazing out the window and I just got the impulse to rest my hand on my chest. My heartbeat had always been somewhat of a comfort to me…"

Rayne stopped talking, seemingly lost in her own thoughts until she shook her head and continued.

"To make a long story short, I started tapping on the window sill. I tapped different rhythms that all corresponded with what my heart was doing. I eventually set things on the window sill to tap to get different sounds and stuff. I'd spend hours doing it… I had nothing else to do."

"Wait, when did you first play the drums then?" Souta asked, having read that the girl had learned to play drums at a very young age.

"I first played drums in 6th grade. I snuck into the band room one afternoon and played on the drum set in there. I got in trouble of course—I always got in trouble."

Rayne shrugged and turned to look out of the window, unceremoniously ending the conversation. Reiki was enthralled, wanting to learn more about the girl's past. She wondered how she got by without parents… Reiki glanced to her left to see the boys talking about something. To her right, Kikyo seemed to be gazing at nothing in particular. In the seats ahead of her were Sango and Kagome sitting next to Reiki. Sango was looking introspective and Kagome had her face buried in Sango's neck, no doubt letting the words of the tabloid bother her. Hakudoshi sat in the front passenger seat gazing out of the window absently.

Reiki looked back towards Rayne to see her braiding another tiny, random braid into her hair. Would they ever get a chance to talk about their feelings again? Reiki knew that Rayne had taken offense to her sitting with Kikyo instead of her. She wished she could explain everything. She wished Rayne would kiss her again.

* * *

In the hotel room, Reiki found herself alone once again. They had a beachfront view, but the green eyed scholar found that having a view was kind of pointless at night. The only thing she could see was a large cargo ship sitting a little ways out in the water. It was lit up, and very pretty, but Reiki was bothering herself with trying to read the words on the side of the ship.

She sighed and stepped out onto the balcony. The air was hot and damp, but there was a continuous breeze—not that the breeze mattered much because it was hot as well.

Reiki felt that the beach was a lovely place, but at night it was one of the most frightening places known to man. The ocean was large and vast, and at night, it was not only large and vast, but dark as well. Just there mere thought that there were almost endless miles of darkness before her sent a chill through her body and the idea of how violent the waves got frightened her as well.

The sound of thunder rolled and she wondered why she wasn't paying close enough attention to see the lightening in the sky, because she hadn't even noticed it was storming in the far off distance.

"Are you cold?"

The question sent her feet into the air in surprise and fright because Kagome had left the room a long while ago and she wasn't expecting anyone. She turned just in time to see Rayne advancing towards her in a tank top and very short denim shorts.

Rayne stepped forward and let her hands come to rest on both sides of Reiki's body, trapping her between the balcony and herself. At any other moment, Reiki would've been terrified to have her back facing what seemed like a 200ft drop, but now… now, she wasn't frightened at all. She felt safe even.

"You don't look cold," Rayne mused with her eyes pinned to the blush that was warming the younger girl's cheeks.

"How'd you get in here?" Reiki asked with an unsteady voice.

Rayne's eyes gazed into her own and the blonde's eyebrows furrowed in concern.

"Magic," Rayne smirked with a look on her face that conveyed her mischief.

"How the hell did you manage to break into a hotel room?" Reiki asked with a soft laugh, and hidden worry.

Rayne gave her a strange look and then pulled away, giving her some room. Reiki jumped a little.

"Do… do I scare you?" Rayne asked with a wry smile.

"What?! No... No, of course not," Reiki stuttered, confused about where that idea was coming from.

"Are you sure, because you look scared. And I can see your pulse, in your neck, and it's kind of not very steady."

Reiki made a bewildered face.

"You can see my pulse?"

"Look, don't get any crazy ideas about me being a vampire or some shit," Rayne laughed, taking a seat on the bed.

Thunder rolled again, and Rayne's eyes shot to the balcony where Reiki was stepping into the room from.

"That was pretty," the blonde murmured before her eyes fell on Reiki again.

"What?" the younger girl asked.

"The lightning," Rayne replied, watching carefully as Reiki seated herself near her.

Silence filled the air with them and Reiki watched as Rayne's fingertips went to her blonde hair and began to braid. At this observation, she noticed that the other braids were absent amongst the colored streaks.

"I'm glad you're here," Reiki said with a blush.

"Really?" Rayne murmured with her own blush, "Because I was getting the feeling that you didn't want me around."

"That's not true…"

"Well then," Rayne said as she got to her feet.

Once again, thunder roared in the distance.

"Where are you going?" the green eyed scholar mumbled, afraid to be left alone again.

"To the beach, and Reiki's coming with me," Rayne said, grabbing hold of the younger girl's hand and pulling her along.

Reiki said nothing and allowed Rayne to pull her along to the elevator. The two were silent and Rayne wondered if she was being too forceful with the younger girl…

* * *

The beach was dark and not to Reiki's surprise, it frightened her even more being on it than looking at it. She held Rayne's hand tightly, staying close and the blue eyed girl had no objections. The two walked for a long while in the darkness, the waves crashing in a syncopated rhythm to their right and the palm trees on their left rustling in the less than docile wind of the night.

"So, let's see if I get this right," Rayne said, startling Reiki.

The blonde continued, "You're afraid of flying, you don't like the beach at night, and being alone makes you uneasy."

The thunder rolled again and Reiki smiled, "You're forgetting one thing Ray."

"Oh, and storms scare you as well," she added with a wide smile. "How could I forget that one?!"

"Hmm, you're very observant," Reiki muttered, embarrassed by how easy it was to scare her.

"Eh, I wouldn't say observant. I just notice little things when I really want to; I usually don't notice much. I want to know a lot about you, though."

Reiki blushed and Rayne continued, not waiting for her to say anything.

"The beach isn't so bad at night, especially if there's a storm off the coast. See look," Rayne said pointing at the ship a far ways out.

"It is kind of pretty, lit up like that," Reiki admitted.

"Oh, that? Yeah, but I wasn't talking about that," Rayne said, pointing again. Reiki strained her eyes to see what the drummer was talking about. Perhaps it was something that only someone with great vision could see—she remembered reading somewhere that people with blue eyes usually had good eye sight.

Suddenly, at what seemed like feet away from the ship, jagged lines of lightning fell into the water creating a flourishing image of light that got caught in the dark backdrop of clouds.

Reiki looked on in awe. It wasn't scary. No, it was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

A few moments later the threatening sound of thunder crashed. The air was damp and warm—humid.

Rayne somehow managed to slip her hand from Reiki's tight grip and sat in the sand. The blue eyed drummer didn't exactly enjoy sand in any way, but she'd handle it for tonight. Just for the sake of her possible relationship with Reiki.

The younger girl followed suite, blushing.

"Do you think it's safe for us to be out here so late?"

"We'll be alright," Rayne said without any worry.

A blush settled on Reiki's cheeks as her eyes met Rayne's.

"You're so cute," Rayne said with a smile.

Reiki's blush only strengthened and Rayne sighed.

"I wanted to talk to you about 'us'."

* * *

Sango flipped through the pages of the magazine to find that article that had disturbed Kagome so. She found the familiar headline and began to read:

"_The break-up of the century definitely had fans worried that their favorite band would suddenly fade from the circuit as rapidly as it had appeared. The band, not even a year old has topped the charts and taken the world by storm. The separation of Sango Taijiya and Rayne Roberts, two members of Kilala, certainly had the music scene in a tizzy. However, Taijiya took no time in finding herself a new lesbian lover to warm her bed._

_It is known to fans that this girl, Kagome Higurashi, and Taijiya have a history together. They had shared a relationship before—one that left Taijiya depressed and heartbroken. Fans took no time in voicing their dislike of the girl; blogs and videos, all having opinions that did not show any support of Taijiya's decision or good feelings towards this girl, who had been unknown at the time. Those who knew Taijiya and Higurashi before the band formed used words such as "selfish" and "slut" to describe Higurashi."_

Sango set down the magazine, offended by the trash that was being written (written poorly, she would add). She only knew that it would get worse from there. Did she even want to read it? Well, she had to read it, only because she knew she'd be questioned about the credibility of what was written—she was sure she'd simply deny that anything written there was true. Whatever the case, she didn't want to be taken by surprise. Begrudgingly, she read on:

"_Higurashi doesn't really seem the type. Sango pleaded with fans to not look at the girl as someone who broke her heart and someone who broke up their favorite couple, but as someone she loves dearly Saturday night at the concert in Charlotte. And despite the fact that there were people booing Higurashi on stage, they can't deny that they looked good together. Even Rayne (continued on page 54.) looked on approvingly with her signature smirk._

_More information is sure to be uncovered on Higurashi, and until then, fans will have to face the facts. Taijiya is once again with her high school (and college) sweetheart. But hey, Rayne's still available. Who doesn't like a hot blonde?"_

The rest of the article was nothing but captioned photos of the concert and photos of Sango and Kagome. A photo of them with InuYasha, back in their high school days, was featured, and at this Sango laughed. Kagome looked so geeky.

"What are you laughing at?"

Sango was startled. She looked up, surprised to see Kagome step into the room. How had she gotten in? She watched as blue eyes fell upon the magazine and a somber look crept onto the girl's face.

"I think you'd feel better if you finished the article," Sango suggested hesitantly.

"Did you read it?" Kagome mumbled taking a seat next to Sango.

"Yes," the green eyed musician said, kissing Kagome gently on the cheek. "They're wrong about you, and I'm kind of glad about that. That way, when they realize how wrong they are, they'll feel somewhat shitty. You're not selfish and you're certainly not a slut."

"Did you ever think I was? I mean, that whole fiasco with InuYasha and then at school… did you ever think I was a slut?"

Sango watched as Kagome refused to meet her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to gaze into beautiful blue eyes dancing with love and appreciation.

"I won't lie Kagome… when I was mad at you for cheating on me, that was all I could think of you. But I didn't stay mad forever, and eventually all of the wonderful things I knew you were overpowered that terrible thought. And do their misconceptions matter anyways? I love you, and the people who love you know that's not true. Isn't that enough?"

Tears were in Kagome's eyes and Sango felt as if she had had enough of seeing Kagome cry for today. She gathered the girl up in her arms and hugged her tightly.

They stayed like that, soaking up one another's warmth for a long time. Kagome's sniffles eventually slowed down and Sango still held fast, green eyes displaying the deep thought she had submerged herself in. She soaked in the feel of Kagome's skin against her neck, the warmth of her damp breath, and the soft smell of the shampoo Kagome always used. She tilted her neck and kissed Kagome soundly on the top of her head.

"How'd you get in here?" she asked.

"Rayne gave me her key in exchange for mine… I think she wanted to surprise Reiki. I tried to warn her that Reiki didn't like surprises, but she refused to listen. I suppose that she's confident in what she's doing. I can only hope that she actually does know what she's doing."

"It may not seem like it," Sango started as she pulled away from Kagome only to lie down and pull the blue eyed girl along, "but Ray is a really thoughtful person. I think she knows exactly what she's doing."

"Well, if you believe in her, I suppose I do as well. Reiki's not making things easy for her though…"

"$10 says they hook up tonight," Sango said slyly.

"Really Sango?! Only $10," Kagome joked with a laugh. "And something tells me they already hooked up in Charlotte."

"Yikes, is Reiki that _easy_?"

Kagome playfully hit Sango on the arm.

"I don't mean 'hooked up' like that!" she cried, still laughing.

"Well, we've hooked up 'like that' plenty of times," Sango mumbled, kissing her gently. "Right babe?"

She kissed Kagome again and girl never responded—she, instead, put her concentration into kissing Sango's perfect lips gently. The green eyed musician hummed in content, dreading the day Kagome had to return home to finish her semester.

* * *

"Wait… I don't get it," Reiki mumbled, looking towards the foam that was chasing the water down the beach and back into the ocean.

"What's there not to get?" Rayne asked, looking a bit annoyed. For a girl who was supposed to be uber smart, Reiki sure was a bit dense. "You still like Kagome a lot, and I can tell. I mean, it didn't hit me until you were sitting with Kikyo in the plane. Anyone who looked at Kikyo and Kagome would say there was some sort of resemblance. And there you were, just taking in the feel of her hand on your back. And I understand why you like Kagome so much. She's so thoughtful and she cares a lot about you. She only wants you to be happy… and I wonder about that, because she obviously wants us to hook up.

"She doesn't know me though… She doesn't really know who I am, or how I am… how I act. I have to wonder what kind of person she thinks I am. I know what kind of person I am, and I doubt what kind of person I can become… I'd hurt you. I don't want that Rei."

"What I felt for Kagome was strong," Reiki mumbled, her voice getting drowned out by the crash of the surf. Rayne looked up to see that the water had been advancing steadily up the bank. Another hour or so and it'd be able to touch their feet.

"But Kagome and Sango are in love and what I feel doesn't really matter," the green eyed girl mumbled with a distant look in her eye. "I know that Kagome and Sango only want us to be happy but, like you, I don't really see our compatibility."

Rayne sighed, realizing that if they did start a relationship, it'd probably end terribly. She would probably do something to offend Reiki, like make out with a fan, or get drunk and do so much worse.

"With all this said, it doesn't make me like you any less."

Rayne looked up, surprised. Exactly how much did Reiki like her anyways?

"Me neither," the blonde laughed. "And I'm kind of eager to see how we'd figure shit out. I mean, Sango was pretty strict with me and kept an eye on me. You don't seem the type to do that… so it'd be nothing but my own will to not get drunk and fuck other girls."

The blonde continued to laugh and Reiki blanched, not finding this funny in the least.

"Plus, I mean, Sango and I slept together a lot… I'm trying to see how long I can last without sex," the blonde seemed pensive, not knowing that Reiki was feeling uneasy. "I've been doing well so far."

Rayne looked over to see Reiki's uneasy look and sighed.

"Sorry… I've been trying to not bother you or anything, but I figure it's about time I quit being fake and polite and let you know what you're getting yourself into. I haven't really lied to you about anything. I haven't really refrained from speaking how I usually do…"

"It's ok," the younger girl said, lifting her hands and brushing the bits of sand that had embedded themselves into her palms off. "I'm glad you're being honest with me."

"That's the only way to do it," the drummer said, tapping her fingers in the sand.

Reiki hummed and exhaled a deep breath.

"I think we'll be alright," she smiled cutely and Rayne felt her heart soar. Was this love? It didn't make any sense…

Brushing the sand off of her hands she leant towards Reiki with the intent to kiss her.

"You sure?" she mumbled with her lips gently brushing against the younger girl's.

"Absolutely positive, Ray," the green eyed girl whispered, letting her eyes fall closed.

"That's good to hear, Rei," the drummer said with playfulness in her voice between soft, loving kisses. Her hand rested on the younger girl's jaw and her pinky finger felt the reverberation of the younger girl's pulse in her neck—an erratic rhythm that she was beginning to enjoy.

Thunder rolled in the background, but the scholar was too immersed in the drummer to even notice how the air shook with its might. Her fingers became lost in golden locks as the ocean breeze carried fresh damp air from the storm out in the water.

* * *

**The chapter was a bit choppy. I apologize. Anyways, thanks for staying with me this whole time and all. I appreciate that completely!**

**-Enigmatic Ethereality**


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